The “Bathers” is a popular historic and contemporary theme in painting; it is an excuse to place the human form within a natural context. Figures in a Landscape. These images can range from realist depictions of figures swimming and lounging to more abstracted forms and inquiry. Often, Bathers paintings have an allegorical element that reveals a poetic connection between the human realm and our environment.

Throughout his oeuvre, Cezanne created many Bathers paintings, both in oils and in watercolors. The figures he included in his compositions were often referenced from the sketches he did much earlier as a student working from casts and in the life room. He combined these figures into invented landscapes.

 Many of the works you see on view here began with drawings or painted sketches from our life room sessions.

 The Modern Color Atelier is a rigorous, multi-year painting and drawing program that focuses on shape and color relationships using the color-blocking method.

Kimberly Trowbridge, Director, The Modern Color Atelier