Naakte achteroverzittende vrouw c. 1870 - 1894

Gustave Joseph Chéret made this sketch of a nude woman reclining, likely sometime in the late 19th century. Chéret was a master of the poster and this drawing may have been a preliminary study, as it shares aesthetic similarities with his well-known lithographic posters. He was celebrated for his images of carefree women, often associated with the pleasures of urban life in France. These "chérettes," as they were known, became symbols of the Belle Époque. The sketch may seem like a straightforward celebration of the female form, but we must ask: whose gaze is being prioritized? What social rituals or marketing strategies inform its creation? By researching the artist's broader body of work and the period in which he lived, we can gain a deeper understanding of how the image functions within the socio-political context of its time. We begin to see how the image is shaped by the dynamic between commerce, artistic innovation, and evolving social norms.