Diana Leaving Her Bath
Here we see the goddess Diana caught in a surprisingly candid moment, stepping out of the water with her back to the viewer. She’s holding onto a sheer, icy-blue veil that does a terrible job of hiding her figure—a favorite technique of Academic painters who wanted to paint nudes while technically keeping them 'covered.' Her dark shoes are kicked off on the step nearby, making this ancient goddess feel oddly modern and relatable, like anyone finishing a swim. Guillaume Dubufe painted this in the late 19th century, sticking to the Academic tradition of flawless skin and idealized forms while the rest of the art world was getting messy with Impressionism.