André Derain – Nude Woman Reclining on a Sofa

The reclining nude is a classic motif dating back to the Renaissance, one that drew serious attention from painters like Manet and Renoir. Derain was no exception — in his later years, he reportedly painted nudes almost daily.

This particular canvas is quite large, roughly 183 centimeters wide, rendering the model at nearly life size. A dark green background makes her pale skin stand out all the more, while the black cloth draped over her lower body pushes the contrast between light and dark even further.

Her face reflects the beauty standards fashionable in Paris at the time — short hair, thin eyebrows, and small lips were all markers of the look Parisian women favored then. The model was a woman named Raymonde Knaublich, who later had a son with Derain.