Nude from the back (Léontine)

Nude from the Back (Léontine), painted in 1880, is a direct study of De Nittis's wife Léontine in the classic pose of the nude from behind — a viewpoint with a long tradition associating intimate observation with contemplative formal concentration. Ingres had made the back view of the female nude a classicising touchstone in La Grande Baigneuse, while Degas and Renoir explored the same viewpoint in more naturalistic contexts in the 1870s. De Nittis's choice to paint Léontine rather than a professional model introduces a biographical dimension — both formal nude study and domestic intimacy between artist and wife. The Pinacoteca Giuseppe De Nittis in Barletta holds it as part of its comprehensive collection representing every aspect of his output from the earliest Italian years to his final Paris canvases.

The back view concentrates attention on the spine, shoulders, and the play of light across curved skin — requiring precise observation of anatomical form and modulation of tone through highlight and shadow. De Nittis renders the skin with carefully layered paint suggesting warmth.