Updated 14 May 2025
On Display Special Exhibition Wing
On Display
Special Exhibition Wing
Woman Sponging Her Back
| Date | ca. 1888-92 |
|---|---|
| Materials and Techniques | pastel on paper mounted on cardboard |
| Size（cm） | 70.9 x 62.4 |
| Credit Line | Donated by Mr. Ryuzaburo Umehara |
| Standard ref. | Lemoisne 967 |
| Category | Drawings |
| Collection Number | D.1974-0003 |
The French painter Degas was interested in conveying the impression of movement, and painted contemporary subjects of "modern life". When compared to that of Renoir, Degas' manner of painting women is almost cruelly objective, and no matter how lovely his paintings may be, he was a realist to the end. This work is one of a series of works from his mature period depicting "Women at their Toilette". Degas alone excelled at this pastel work which exhibits shining colors and a high density at variance with the effects of oil pigments. (Source: The Digital Gallery. 1999-2006)
Provenance
Atelier Degas (1st sale, lot. 120); Collection Monteux, Paris; M. Roger Budin; Galerie Yoshii, Tokyo; M. Ryuzaburo Umehara, by whom donated to the NMWA, 1974.
Exhibition History
- 1973
- Modern Japanese art and Paris, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, 15 September 1973 - 4 November 1973, The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, 1973年11月10日-1973年12月16日
- 1988
- Japonisme, Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris, 17 May 1988 - 15 August 1988, cat. no. 205
- 1988
- Japonisme (Japonism), National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, 23 September 1988 - 11 December 1988, cat. no. 205
- 2001
- French Masterpiece Drawings from The National Museum of Western Art Collection, National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, 27 March 2001 - 24 June 2001
- 2016
- Bonjour, Monsieur Renoir: Renoir et Umehara - joie de peindre, Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo, 19 October 2016 - 9 January 2017, ABENO HARUKAS Art Museum, Osaka, 24 January-26 March, cat. no. 31, col. repr.
- 2017
- Hokusai and Japonisme, The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, 21 October 2017 - 28 January 2018, cat. no. 48, col. repr.
Bibliography
- 1945
- Rouart, Denis. Degas à la recherche de sa technique. Paris, Floury, 1945, p. 29, repr.
- 1946
- Lemoisne, P. A. Degas et son œuvre. vol. 3, Paris, 1946, p. 562, cat. no. 967, repr.
- 1975
- Les cent chefs-d'œuvre du Musée National d'Art Occidental. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1975 (Japanese), no. 48, col. repr.
- 1975
- Modern Japanese art and Paris., no. 31.
- 1976
- Bulletin Annuel du Musée National d’Art Occidental. No. 9 (1974), 1976, Nouvelles acquisitions, par Chisaburoh F. Yamada, pp.4-5. Nouvelles acquisitions (catalogue). pp. 14-15, repr.
- 1976
- Gazette des Beaux-Arts. ser. 6, tome 87, Mar. 1976, "Chronique des Arts", p. 72, no. 304, repr.
- 1978
- Masterpieces of the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1978 (Japanese, preface in Japanese and English), no. 55, col. repr.
- 1979
- The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo: Catalogue of paintings. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1979, no. 79, repr.
- 1989
- Masterpieces of the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1989 (Japanese, preface in Japanese and English), p. 85, cat. no. 78.
- 2016
- Bonjour, Monsieur Renoir: Renoir et Umehara - joie de peindre (exh. cat.). Mitsubishi Ichigoukan Museum, Tokyo et al., eds. [Tokyo], Curators, 2016, pp. 55, 61, 185, cat. no. 31, col. repr.
- 2017
- Hokusai and Japonisme (exh. cat.). Hakamata, Hiroyo; Ikeda, Yuko, eds. Tokyo, Yomiuri Shimbun; The National Museum of western Art, Tokyo, 2017, pp. 91, 383, cat. no. 48, col. repr.