Leaving the Bath 1879 - 1880

Edgar Degas captured this image, "Leaving the Bath," in an etching, a medium that lends itself to the study of light and shadow. Here we see a woman drying herself, an intimate scene portrayed with an almost voyeuristic detachment. The act of bathing has long held symbolic weight, representing purification and renewal. Think of the ancient Roman baths or the baptismal waters of Christianity. Yet, Degas presents a modern, secular ritual. Her gesture is not one of modesty, but a casual, almost mundane act. We find echoes of this motif in earlier works, such as Susanna and the Elders, where the bathing woman is observed, but here the narrative is stripped away, leaving only the raw, unfiltered experience. Degas invites us to reflect on how these primal acts connect us across time. They remind us of the universal experience of the human body and its care.