Who painted Femmes s'essuyant (Women Drying Themselves)?

Femmes s'essuyant (Women Drying Themselves) was painted by Suzanne Valadon in 1893.

Where can I see Femmes s'essuyant (Women Drying Themselves)?

Femmes s'essuyant (Women Drying Themselves) is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Femmes s'essuyant (Women Drying Themselves)?

Femmes s'essuyant (Women Drying Themselves) is associated with Impressionism.

Can I buy a print of Femmes s'essuyant (Women Drying Themselves)?

Museum-quality prints of Femmes s'essuyant (Women Drying Themselves) are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Femmes s'essuyant (Women Drying Themselves)

Suzanne Valadon , 1893

Femmes s'essuyant (Women Drying Themselves) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Suzanne Valadon. It dates from 1893 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:recto: in plate, at upper left: Suzanne Valadon [in reverse]; at lower right, in graphite: Suzanne Valadon / 1893; at bottom right, in graphite, in later hand: vernis mou; verso: at upper left, in graphite, in later hand: 18 [circled]; at bottom left, in graphite, in later hand: 71085
Markings: Marked:none

About this work

Overview

Created in 1893, Femmes s'essuyant is a soft‑ground etching executed on laid paper by French artist Suzanne Valadon. The work presents a brief, intimate moment of two women attending to their bodies after bathing, rendered in swift, gestural lines that convey movement and immediacy.

Subject & Meaning

The composition captures a domestic scene: one figure seated on a stool rubs her hair with a towel, while the other stands nearby, also drying herself. Valadon’s choice of a private, everyday activity reflects her broader interest in portraying women in unguarded, quotidian contexts rather than idealized poses.

Technique & Style

Valadon employed the soft‑ground etching process, which allows the artist to draw directly onto a prepared paper surface before acid bites the lines. The laid paper’s textured grain is visible, and the etched marks appear loose and rapid, suggesting a sketch‑like spontaneity that emphasizes the tactile quality of the scene.

History & Provenance

In 1894 she became the first woman admitted to the Société Nationale des Beaux‑Arts, marking a significant professional milestone.

Suzanne Valadon, born in 1865, pursued an independent artistic career without formal academy instruction. In 1894 she became the first woman admitted to the Société Nationale des Beaux‑Arts, marking a significant professional milestone. This etching, produced shortly before that admission, exemplifies the themes that defined her early oeuvre, particularly the focus on female nudes and domestic life.

After the Bath: Woman Drying Herself, Edgar Degas

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Artist & collection

Artist

Suzanne Valadon

Marie-Clémentine "Suzanne" Valadon (French pronunciation:; 23 September 1865 – 7 April 1938) was a French painter who was born at Bessines-sur-Gartempe, Haute-Vienne, France.