In Diana Leaving Her Bath, Boucher demonstrates his expert manipulation of color, lighting, and form to create an idyllic and erotic portrayal of the innocent goddess, Diana. His subject matter is mythical in nature, but also takes on a sensual connotation. Boucher intentionally contrasts the dark blues and greens around the periphery of the painting with the bright golden tones in the center to emphasis his subject matter. In regards to perspective, the manipulation of color also brings the center of the painting forward, while pushing away elements such as the hunting dogs and forest. The lighting works in conjunction with this structure. The pseudo-natural lighting, possibly a beam of sunlight through the trees, emphasizes Diana and her hand maiden. 

A series of lines run through the painting, creating structure and visual focus. The main linear structure runs from the arms of the assistant, through Diana's legs and up through the infamously reoccurring blue curtain. The painting is very well balanced along this diagonal line and provides an untraditional sense of symmetry. Again, Boucher sticks with his trademark circular composition. In regards to form, the bodies of Diana and her aid are very proportional and anatomically accurate. They are crafted in a delicate and sensual manner that is aided by the texture of the brushstrokes. The soft, feathery, and well blended strokes around the skin add to the ethereal effect of the painting. 

Beyond the formal elements of the painting, Boucher has crafted a very specific narrative. Diana is identified by her signature attributes: the golden crescent settled in her hair and the bow and game lying next to her. However, most prominent here are the traits in fashion under the reign of Louis XV. Her the milky complexion, small full face, and curvaceous figure are emblematic of beauty standards at the time. 

Her virginal state distances her from any ill intent and she reveals her nudity only out of the necessity of her bath. She does so with total frankness and lack of prudery, like a novice to the world of romance. Diana is presented as a ravishingly pretty and demure girl. Many critics describe Diana as having “a voluptuous vacancy on her face” and argue that the lack of animation in her expression increases her charm. Her features reveal nothing of the hard-hearted goddess of the hunt. Though Diana is so desirable, she seems without desires, in a state of innocence that borders on ignorance. She is almost aloof in her routine. 

Boucher is above all interested in the relationship between the body and nature. The intense blue of the drapery is offset by the rosy freshness of skin and the subtle green of the landscape. The treatment of the nude female body is particularly delicate here and the modeling of the body is sensual, yet realistic. Boucher’s depiction of Diana reflects a totally human woman. His idealizing touches are restricted to the refining of the ankles and wrists, the arc of the brows, and the deeper red tinting of the lips. 

The most famous story relating to a bath of Diana is that in which the hunter Actaeon, coming across the bathing goddess, spies on her. Diana in her anger at Actaeon, who once boasted that he was her equal in hunting, causes her to turn the man into a stag. His own hunting hounds devour him. Is this painting a recreation of the pose of a goddess only recently having dealt with an affront to her glory? A goddess who calmly returns to her routine as her servants serve and her subjects reel in terror?