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National Gallery of Art - THE COLLECTION
image of Woman Bathing
Mary Cassatt (artist)
American, 1844 - 1926
Woman Bathing, 1890-1891
drypoint and aquatint on laid paper
plate: 36.4 x 26.7 cm (14 5/16 x 10 1/2 in.) sheet: 43.2 x 29.8 cm (17 x 11 3/4 in.)
Chester Dale Collection
1963.10.253
From the Tour: Mary Cassatt — Selected Color Prints
Object 7 of 12

In the late 1880s, Mary Cassatt began to explore the theme of women at their toilette. Woman Bathing is part of the 1891 series of ten prints that explores the private activities of women. Woman Bathing displays the same flat planes and liquid color that Cassatt had particularly admired in the exhibition of Japanese prints she had seen at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts.

Although Cassatt depicted few nudes during her long career, Woman Bathing demonstrates a remarkable sensitivity in this genre. The sensuous curve of the woman's back, drawn in very simple lines, highlights the artist's impeccable draftsmanship. Cassatt often credited the print medium for refining her drawing skills; drawing on a plate requires strict control as the surface mercilessly retains every mark.

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