| The Bathers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Paul Cézanne |
| Year | 1898–1905 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 210.5 cm × 250.8 cm (82.9 in × 98.7 in) |
| Location | Philadelphia Museum of Art |
| Accession | W1937-1-1 |
| Website | philamuseum |
The Bathers (French:Les Grandes Baigneuses) is anoil painting by French artistPaul Cézanne (1839–1906) first exhibited in 1906. The painting, which is exhibited in thePhiladelphia Museum of Art, is the largest of a series ofBather paintings by Cézanne; the others are in theMuseum of Modern Art in New York City,National Gallery, London, theBarnes Foundation, Pennsylvania, and theArt Institute of Chicago.[1][2][3][4] Occasionally referred to as theBig Bathers orLarge Bathers to distinguish it from the smaller works, the painting is considered one of the masterpieces of modern art,[2][5] and is often considered Cézanne's finest work.[6] The painting was featured in the 1980BBC Two series100 Great Paintings.
Cézanne worked on the painting for seven years, and it remained unfinished at the time of his death in 1906.[7]
The painting was purchased in 1937 forUS$110,000 (equivalent to $2,405,995 in 2024) with funds from a trust fund for the Philadelphia Museum of Art by their major benefactor,Joseph E. Widener.[1][2] It was previously owned byLeo Stein.[8] The purchase of the painting, while generally praised, was nevertheless questioned byThe Philadelphia Record, which noted that 41,000 (or ten percent) of Philadelphia's residents were withoutbathtubs, and that the money could therefore have been better spent elsewhere.[2]
With each version of theBathers, Cézanne moved away from the traditional presentation of paintings, intentionally creating works that would not appeal to the novice viewer.[9] He did this to avoid fleetingfads and give a timeless quality to his work, and in so doing paved the way for future artists to disregard current trends and paint pieces that would appeal equally to all generations.[9] The abstract nude females present inLarge Bathers give the painting tension and density.[9] It is exceptional among his work in symmetrical dimensions, with the adaptation of the nude forms to the triangular pattern of the trees and river.[10] Using the same technique as employed in paintinglandscapes andstill lifes,Large Bathers is reminiscent of the work ofTitian andPeter Paul Rubens.[11] Comparisons are also often made with the other famous group of nude women of the same period,Picasso'sLes Demoiselles d'Avignon.[12][13]
While Cézanne's drawing ability has always been criticized, a critic once said that he "made the ineptly drawn Bathers a warm evocation of leisurely summer bliss."[14]
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