Startled Bathers (1933) has its roots in classical mythology, but the theme of bathers has been recreated and reinterpreted throughout art history in a variety of iconographic contexts. Representations range from Biblical depictions of Susannah and the Elders or Bathsheba, to mythological portrayals of nymphs. Artists such as Renoir, Cézanne, and Rembrandt, all of whom influenced Picasso, frequently depicted scenes of bathers—mythological representations of nymphs or allusions to Biblical stories. This particular print shows the influence that classical subject matter and style had on Picasso, which coincided with the “Return to Order” after the First World War.
Through the combination of etching and drypoint, Picasso creates a widely varied and layered surface. The bathers are filled with motion in their rounded, curving figures of terse, dark lines. Their heads are turned toward the two male figures on the left side of the composition, yet their eyes are completely darkened with messy, violent, short lines, endowing them with a sense of disempowerment and emptiness, while also harkening to the defacement of works of art. In contrast, the eyes of the two male figures are neatly drawn and wide open, as they take in the two bathers. The bust that rests on a pedestal and faces the women directly, is rendered in a way that recalls classical sculpture. The other male figure takes up a voyeuristic position as he hides in the plants behind a wall, peeking over the ledge with only his eyes and forehead visible, emphasizing his piercing gaze directed toward the two women. Picasso portrays a scene that draws attention to the lines of vision coming from the various subjects, displaying the power and discomfort of the male gaze as the vulnerable female figures are denied the agency to return the gaze.
Jina Stanfill ’18
