"After the Bath"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the subject matter and analyzes formal elements such as composition, line, texture, mass, and volume. It questions how Degas used color and light in this painting; how he organized design principles of balance, rhythm, and proportion; and whether this painting is telling a story or just simply a snippet into the reality of the subject like a photograph? Other questions include what symbolism and imagery is evident in the painting, how effectively the artist used the materials and formal elements to create a particular impression or illustrate a theme, whether Degas was successful, and what did this painting mean to him?

From the Paper:

"I chose a work by Degas because I believe that for his time, he was an innovative thinker. Many art experts place his work amongst that of the Impressionists. Like some, I believe he was at the tail end of this movement, focused less on light and subdued choice of color and focused more on his subject's movement. This is not to say that he did not use light and color to convey his message. In fact Anthea Callen writes: "Degas' culture made it inevitable that he represent masculine desire and anxieties about masculine identity evoked by such desire through an apparently detached masculine scrutiny of the female body" (6). It is because of his blatant obsessions that such passion can be revealed to the viewer. His intensity is apparent throughout his depth of work and his critical way of pushing the envelope reflects his pursuit of "the great Neoclassicist's linear perfection" (Hartt, 850). According to the art historian Hartt, "Degas defined the goal of his own style succinctly as 'bewitching the truth'" (851)."

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