Bathers 

Max Liebermann made this print called "Bathers" using etching techniques. Liebermann, a German-Jewish artist, positioned himself in the late 19th and early 20th centuries amidst a rapidly changing society, grappling with industrialization and shifting social norms. "Bathers" presents a scene of leisure that was becoming increasingly available to the middle class. However, Liebermann avoids idealizing the human form, instead presenting figures with a raw, almost unrefined quality. This choice can be seen as a departure from traditional academic art, reflecting a turn towards more realistic and less hierarchical representations of everyday life. The print invites us to consider the evolving relationship between the body, leisure, and societal expectations during Liebermann’s time, highlighting the democratizing potential and the complex negotiations of modernity.