Bathers and Strollers 1919

Editor: Here we have Maurice Prendergast's "Bathers and Strollers," painted in 1919. It's a watercolor depicting a lively beach scene. The figures feel so flat, almost like paper cutouts. How would you interpret this work? Curator: What interests me most is Prendergast's deliberate use of watercolor in a period when oil was still the dominant medium. Why choose a medium traditionally associated with sketching or 'feminine' arts for a large-scale composition depicting public life? Is he democratizing art by embracing a more accessible and readily available material? Editor: That's fascinating! I hadn’t considered the choice of watercolor itself as a statement. It makes me think about how the Impressionists engaged with plein-air painting and the availability of paint tubes… Curator: Exactly. Consider too the context of mass tourism emerging in the early 20th century. What did Prendergast, with his relatively accessible, materially modest watercolors, produce for the art market in contrast to other depictions of leisure by artists working primarily in oil paint? Editor: So, the work itself and the ease of access it had is an idea. What about how people can access art because of what art is created with. I'm getting it now. Curator: Think about the social implications: access to leisure, access to art materials, and how that access is depicted and mediated. What did you find out about it? Editor: Seeing the work through the lens of materials really opens up a whole new perspective, and gives me some direction on this type of viewing of artwork. Curator: Absolutely, it is an important lens to contextualize work through. It prompts us to question assumptions about value and artistic labor.