Bathers Wrestling (Baigneuses luttants) c. 1896

Camille Pissarro made this lithograph, Bathers Wrestling, using ink on paper. The image depicts a scene of nude women bathing outdoors. In nineteenth-century France, the female nude was a traditional subject in academic painting, yet here, Pissarro updates the theme with the formal innovations of Impressionism. The print emphasizes loose brushstrokes and a muted palette. These stylistic innovations are also a means of critiquing the conservative art establishment, challenging academic conventions. Pissarro and other Impressionists sought to democratize art by depicting scenes of everyday life, rather than grand historical or mythological subjects. They also challenged the established Salon system by exhibiting their work independently. Historians consult a range of sources to interpret art, including exhibition reviews and artists' letters. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.