Standing Nude by Degas

Revealing the simple and unadorned beauty of the female body in motion, the realist painter Degas Edgar offers a study of great modernity in “Standing Nude”. This sensitive work is part of his rigorous explorations of the nude and the truth of the daily toilette. The artist abandons artificial academic poses to capture the natural and spontaneous attitude of his model in all her physical truth.

The composition features a standing nude woman, her body slightly bent and turned in profile toward the right side of the image. She stretches or leans forward, extending her left arm downward in a gesture of great physical flexibility, almost touching the floor. Some of her generous forms are beautifully sculpted by a direct, warm light coming from the upper left, highlighting the delicate lines of her breasts, hips, and back. A cream-white cloth is draped around her hips and thighs, blending into a dark brown drapery on the ground. The background of the work is a very warm, solid red ocher tone that adds depth to the model.

The exceptional craftsmanship of the artist is manifested through the vigorous and textured use of pastel and charcoal. Edgar Degas draws the outline of the body with a line of great firmness while softening the medium to suggest the softness of the skin and the firmness of the flesh.