Bathers 1911

Editor: This is Kazimir Malevich's "Bathers," from 1911, done in ink on paper. It feels very primal to me, almost like figures from a myth. There's a rawness to the sketchiness. What strikes you when you look at it? Curator: The roughness and distortion in the drawing certainly connect it to a primal visual language, reflecting anxieties around modernity. What do you think Malevich might be saying with the boat and its relation to these abstracted figures? Editor: Perhaps it’s about our relationship with nature and technology. The figures look so much more vulnerable than the boat, which feels permanent. Curator: That’s a sharp observation! Now consider, what does water typically represent in art and myth? And how do these ‘bathers’ relate to that symbolism, caught as they are between boat and… what appears to be, perhaps, death or a drowning? It isn't passive bathing, is it? Editor: No, definitely not passive. There is one body laying down and what seems like others interacting with it. So, water…birth, rebirth? They’re wrestling with mortality itself, maybe. Curator: Precisely! It's as if Malevich is using cubist abstraction to get to the core of the human experience and it also calls upon our collective cultural memory associated to the water. And the "death" figure can very much signal a symbol to start anew! Editor: Wow, I hadn't thought about it that deeply before, but now I see so much more in this seemingly simple sketch! It's amazing how much symbolism can be packed into just a few lines. Curator: Indeed, the visual economy speaks volumes. Hopefully, this exercise reminds people to pause and consider not just what they *see*, but also what they *know* when encountering an image!