Zwei Badende Mädchen 1925

Otto Mueller made this painting, “Two Bathing Girls,” with distemper on canvas. It is held at the Brücke Museum here in Berlin. The subject is two nude women in an open space, surrounded by wild vegetation. The cultural context of the artwork is shaped by Germany in the early twentieth century, a period of cultural shifts, including the rise of the expressionist movement. Mueller was associated with the Brücke group, known for its expressive use of color and simplified forms. The painting reflects the group’s interest in primitivism and the desire to return to a more natural state. The Brücke artists broke away from academic traditions and aimed to challenge the conservative art establishment. The artwork's meaning is deeply linked to its historical context. Art historians use archives, letters, and period publications to gain a richer understanding of the painting's socio-cultural background, revealing that the painting acted as a critique of the bourgeois norms of the time.