Bather with Cigarette 1924

Yasuo Kuniyoshi made this painting of a Bather with Cigarette sometime in the first half of the twentieth century, using oil on canvas. Kuniyoshi was a Japanese-American artist who came to the United States in 1906. His work often engages with his identity as an immigrant, as well as wider debates about American identity and social change during the interwar period. Here, the bather’s pose is ambiguous. Is she caught in a moment of thought, or is she posing for the viewer? The cigarette in her hand suggests a modern, independent woman, yet her body is far from the slender ideal often presented in art and media. This painting, like much of Kuniyoshi’s work, asks us to reconsider conventional beauty standards and expectations for women. To understand Kuniyoshi’s place in American art history, it's worth looking at his exhibition history, critical reception, and political activities.