Bathers at Rest 1904

Paul Cézanne made this oil painting of bathers, a small one only 22 by 33cm, at an unknown date. Look at how Cézanne's broken brushstrokes dance across the canvas. The painting isn't trying to trick you into thinking you're looking at real bodies. You can almost feel the paint, thick and thin, creating its own kind of reality. The colours are earthy, greens and browns with a kind of fleshy pink – less like skin, more like light filtered through trees. See that figure standing on the right with his arms up behind his head? The way the light hits his back is amazing. It's like Cézanne is building the form out of pure light, not just copying what he sees, but making it up as he goes along, like a sculptor with paint. Cézanne has similarities with artists like Poussin, but Cézanne is less bothered about getting everything right. It’s more about a feeling than a perfect picture. And maybe, that’s what makes it so interesting.