Bathers 1919

Konstantinos Parthenis made ‘Bathers’, an oil painting, sometime in the early to mid-20th century. The dreamy color palette, mostly variations on blues and greens, make the whole scene feel like a half-remembered, idealized vision of nature and the body. Up close, you can see how Parthenis uses thin layers of paint, almost like watercolor washes, to build up the forms. There's a softness to the figures and the landscape. Take the standing bather at the center of the painting. See how her form is gently outlined, almost dissolving into the background? It’s like she's emerging from the landscape itself. It makes me think about how our bodies are always part of the world. Parthenis reminds me of other artists like Puvis de Chavannes, with their shared interest in creating serene, idealized scenes. There's an interesting conversation happening between these artists about how to represent the human figure in harmony with nature. Ultimately, ‘Bathers’ is an open-ended invitation. We're left to ponder the relationship between the body, nature, and the act of seeing itself.