Olympia

What you see

A nude woman reclines against white pillows and sheets that stretch almost the full width of the canvas. She wears a pink flower in her hair, a black ribbon at her neck, a bracelet and a single slipper. To the right, a Black woman in a pale pink dress brings her a large bouquet wrapped in paper. The dark background makes the pale figure stand out.

The skin is painted almost without shadow, in smooth tones set against the deep greens and browns behind. The bouquet is a cluster of quick touches of white, blue and red. Watch for the black cat with its tail raised at the far right, its yellow eyes nearly lost in the shadows.