Susanna Im Bade 1890

Curator: So, here we have Lovis Corinth's "Susanna im Bade," painted in 1890. Corinth, as many know, was a prominent figure in German Impressionism. Editor: Oof, talk about awkward. You immediately sense Susanna’s vulnerability… sitting there, half-draped, seemingly unaware of those leering gazes lurking in the shadows. I can practically feel her skin prickling. Curator: The subject draws on a popular Old Testament story – Susanna, surprised while bathing, then falsely accused. Corinth’s approach here, though, really shifts the power dynamic and commentary. The male gaze, typically celebrated or unchallenged in classical renditions of this story, is instead presented here as something menacing, and deeply uncomfortable. Editor: Menacing is the word! They're just disembodied heads lurking back there, which to me, evokes how women’s bodies have historically been policed and hyper-sexualized by institutions, by society. Susanna becomes a symbol for invaded privacy, not so much titillation. You also notice the brushstrokes—short, broken—implying movement, unease…even the seemingly still marble tiles aren't still at all. Curator: Yes, and in ways this reflects broader societal shifts around the female body during the fin de siècle. Anxiety, desire, exploitation – they’re all bound together. And although painted much earlier, we could even consider how the Impressionist and Romantic styles he employed may reflect that in how they shape our immediate sense of the work. The softness around the figure evokes her vulnerability, versus, say, more formal academic styles. Editor: True! The choice to show, not tell, heightens the drama. The heavy atmosphere does half the work in telling that biblical tale without spelling out every beat, giving the viewer space to reflect, as you were saying, on that messy knot of vulnerability, accusation, and exposure. Curator: A fascinating, if unsettling, example of how history can inform our gaze – or rather, re-direct it, challenging assumptions about art, gender, and power. Editor: Exactly. It leaves you wondering what kind of ‘bath’ are we taking as viewers of the piece? Makes you consider what exactly we might be complicit in? Food for thought for our next museum stroll!