Josef Capek - Before Bedtime

Title: Before Bedtime (Před spaním)
Artist: Josef Capek (1887-1945)
Date: 1920
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
Location: Private collection, unknown location
Photo credit: www.cestimistri.cz
Seen: at Musée Marmottan-Monet, Paris, France, between February and July, 2015

Josef Čapek’s "Before Bedtime" is often titled "Před spaním – Toaleta". It catches a woman in a private and relaxing moment of the day, as she undoes her hair and combs it loose for the night, before going to bed.

Painted around 1920, it’s built with strong, almost cubist geometry. There is a tension between the straight lines and angles of her body and the waves formed by her hair, as well as the tiny fluff of body hair under her armpits. The woman's head is turned towards the viewer but she is not really looking at us, she seems to be looking into a mirror. Čapek is interested in depicting the intimacy of the moment, in portraying the private moment where there is no makeup and show, where one is simple and vulnerable ; in showing a real person, not an idealized pin-up.

The mood is quiet and contemplative, about an everyday ritual. It feels like that space where you’re alone with your thoughts, replaying the day or lost in your thoughts about tomorrow.