The Bathers (Renoir)
Encyclopedia
The Bathers is an oil painting on canvas made between 1918 and 1919 by the French painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir
. After being giving to the State by his three in 1923, it is currently kept at the Musée d'Orsay
in Paris.
There are two groups of naked women: two models lying in the foreground plus three bathers in the background, on the right. One of the models of this painting is the Andrée Hessling, who became Renoir's first wife. The natural setting displaying in the painting was the large garden of the house owned by the painter in Cagnes-sur-Mer
.
In the painting, Renoir removed any reference to the contemporary world and showed "a timeless nature". The theme of the bather is predominant in the final season of Renoir's paintings: the women portrayed by the painter are free and uninhibited. These bathers are "melted in the nature and the forms merge with the trees, flowers and the shares of red water".
The painting received criticism because of "the enormousness of the legs and arms, the weakness of flesh, and the pinkish color of the models".
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty, and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Renoir is the final representative of a tradition which runs directly from Rubens to...
. After being giving to the State by his three in 1923, it is currently kept at the Musée d'Orsay
Musée d'Orsay
The Musée d'Orsay is a museum in Paris, France, on the left bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, an impressive Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1915, including paintings, sculptures, furniture,...
in Paris.
There are two groups of naked women: two models lying in the foreground plus three bathers in the background, on the right. One of the models of this painting is the Andrée Hessling, who became Renoir's first wife. The natural setting displaying in the painting was the large garden of the house owned by the painter in Cagnes-sur-Mer
Cagnes-sur-Mer
Cagnes-sur-Mer is a commune of the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-Geography:It is the largest suburb of the city of Nice and lies to the west-southwest of it, about from the center.-History:...
.
In the painting, Renoir removed any reference to the contemporary world and showed "a timeless nature". The theme of the bather is predominant in the final season of Renoir's paintings: the women portrayed by the painter are free and uninhibited. These bathers are "melted in the nature and the forms merge with the trees, flowers and the shares of red water".
The painting received criticism because of "the enormousness of the legs and arms, the weakness of flesh, and the pinkish color of the models".