Étude de fesses

Study of Buttocks is an oil on canvas that the Swiss painter Félix Vallotton probably made around 1884. The picture shows, in a very close foreground view, the back of a nude woman with her left hand resting on her hip. Its interest lies in its close attention: the artist records every detail of the skin, from its irregularities and folds to reddened patches, rather than idealising the body according to academic conventions. This direct gaze links it to the Realists and Impressionists, who preferred to depict the beauty of contemporary women with naturalness. The cropping also carries a playful tone, typical of a studio exercise focused on modelling flesh. For this reason it has been compared, with some caution, to Courbet's The Origin of the World, although here the approach is more technical than provocative. The painting remained out of the public eye for years until, much later, it was shown in Paris at a gallery run by the artist's nephew, where it attracted the attention of Sacha Guitry. It is now held in a private collection.

Painter

Félix Vallotton

Date

1884

Medium

oil paint, canvas

Dimensions

38 × 46 cm

Genre

nude

Depicts

thigh, back, dimples of Venus, akimbo, intergluteal cleft, waist, hipshot, steatomery

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