Bathing (Pastoral) 1923

Eugeniusz Zak made this painting, Bathing (Pastoral), with a palette of soft browns, greens, and blues, creating a scene that feels both dreamy and intimate. I imagine him, brush in hand, coaxing these figures out of the canvas, his focus shifting between the nude bather and the loungers on the riverbank. You can almost feel the texture of the paint itself, especially in the way the tree’s foliage is rendered with feathery strokes. There's a deliberate choice to leave things undefined, inviting us to fill in the gaps with our own imaginations. It reminds me of other painters who were similarly invested in a kind of idyllic vision, maybe Puvis de Chavannes, but Zak brings his own melancholy to the scene. It's as if he's asking, "How can we find beauty and peace in a world that's constantly changing?" Artists engage with each other across time. They speak through their work, inspiring new ways of seeing and feeling, each adding their voice to the ever-evolving conversation of art.