It was painted in Brussels while the city was bombed during World War II and Delvaux wanted to contrast the psychological drama of the moment with the calm Venus.

Dominating the picture at the front is a chaise longue in Empire style where a nude Venus figure reclines with closed eyes and her hands behind her head.

[1][2] Delvaux made the fourth Sleeping Venus in Brussels while the city was bombed during World War II.

[1] The art historian Virginie Devillers says all of Delvaux's Venus paintings portray a state between sleep and wakefulness and share their contrast between calm and violence.

The paintings from 1944 stand out due to their involvement of other characters, and the second of them differs from the first with its outdoors setting and more dramatic staging, expressing the tension of a particular time and place.