Nude Woman

This large oil on canvas, dated 1902, shows a nude woman lying on a bed, seen from behind. According to the sources, the model was Clotilde, the painter's wife. The work belongs to the mature phase of Sorolla's career, a period in which he had already explored the nude: in 1887, during his time in Italy, he had painted Bacchante at Rest. Its background reference is Velázquez's Rokeby Venus, with which the composition converses in its reclining body and averted gaze. Sorolla, however, adds a personal touch: the fuchsia-pink satin bedspread reflects light in ripples that, depending on the viewpoint, lighten almost to white, linking the painting to his luminist investigations. White lace sheets around the legs and arms complete a play of textures. The painting stayed in the artist's private collection and, after the museum dedicated to him was established, became part of his legacy; it was later sold by the family to a private collector.

Painter

Joaquín Sorolla

Date

1902

Medium

oil paint, canvas

Dimensions

106 × 186 cm

Museum

Sorolla Museum, Madrid

Genre

genre art

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