Inspired by Edgar Degas (1834-1917) – The Tub – Pastel – 6,61 x 9,37 inch

Nadine loves this special time of morning wash. She undresses, puts brush and jugs on the side table near her tub. Then she pulls up her long red hair in a bun. And the ritual can begin.

It was a morning like this that she accepted Rodolphe’s proposal. It was ten years ago. The day before, he knelt before her, holding a ring, a Solitaire, coming from his grandmother. Astounded, she couldn’t bring herself to a proper answer, either yes or no. They both felt so embarrassed. The following night had been a nightmare for her. Fortunately she was alone and able to think precautiously and weigh the pros and cons. However, she hadn’t managed to make a decision. But, the next morning, squatting in her scrap-iron tub, a long past legacy on her father’s side, the answer had become obvious to her. Of course, she loved him, he loved her. Obviously a wedding was a logical follow-up of their affair that began six months earlier.

She had gone to her best friend’s birthday, with little enthusiasm. The big events with hundred guests, it’s definitely not what she fancies. And then, as she had just come through the front door, she had seen him just there, so shy, with a glass of champagne in his right hand. Clumsy since birth, and jostled by two young and already drunk chaps, Nadine passing by the lonely guest, had spilled his drink all over his shiny white shirt. Fortunately, champagne doesn’t stain. And they had joked about it for a long time.

The next morning, during the holy moment of her morning wash, Nadine had taken the firm intention of dating Rodolphe, the naive. Oh, not so naive, after all. She had paid the price over the years. The complicity of the first months had given way to heavy silence. The long evenings spent alone waiting for the return of her husband happened more and more often. Then the smells of female perfumes on the clothes of her beloved.

Nadine loves this special time of morning wash. She undresses, puts brush and jugs on the side table near her tub. Then she pulls up her long red hair in a bun. And the ritual can begin.