Bathers 1919

Konstantinos Parthenis made 'Bathers' with oil on canvas. It’s a medium-sized canvas, just over a meter square. Just look at those cool blues and greens, so refreshing! And these figures, these bathers, feel so still and serene. I can almost imagine Parthenis, brush in hand, layering thin washes of colour, building up this dreamlike vision of Greece. It's like he's pulling from the past, nodding to ancient sculptures and mythology. The figures are idealized, but they’re also kind of modern, like a Cubist re-imagining of nymphs and gods. The way he flattens the space, it’s as if he's creating a world that is both real and imagined, a place where time stands still and art becomes a window onto eternity. Like Picasso, he makes the old feel new. It's a reminder that painting is always a conversation, and it never ends!