Swimming Women 1902

Konstantin Gorbatov made this painting of swimming women in what looks like oil paint. You can see that the artist has applied the paint in layers, building up texture, especially in the water. It is a process, a slow layering of marks, that leads to a complete image. I'm drawn to how the cool blues and greens of the water contrast with the warmer tones of the women's skin. The brushstrokes are visible and kind of choppy, giving the painting a sense of movement. The figures are not super detailed, but they're placed perfectly in the composition. The brushwork around the bodies is particularly interesting; it's loose and free, suggesting the way light and water interact. This piece reminds me of some of Pierre Bonnard's paintings of bathers, who was also interested in capturing fleeting moments and the play of light. There is a painterly quality to both their works, an interest in exploring the possibilities of the medium.