Bathers 1921

René Magritte made this painting, Bathers, with oil on canvas. Look at those three figures, standing shoulder to shoulder; they have a monumental, almost sculptural presence. I can feel the weight and warmth of the paint, its subtle gradations of tone, as if Magritte were caressing the figures with his brush. There’s a subtle tension between abstraction and figuration, a dance between what is seen and what is known. What was Magritte thinking as he painted this scene? The colors are restrained, earthy browns and creams, with dark accents that suggest shadow and depth. It's as if these bathers have emerged from the earth itself, their forms both solid and ethereal. You can almost feel the rough texture of the canvas beneath the smooth, polished surface of the figures. They are the sum of many actions – dabs, strokes, lines, and erasures. Painters are always in conversation with one another, riffing off ideas and techniques across time. This piece feels like a nod to the classical tradition of depicting the female form, but with a decidedly modern twist.