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Mythic or Mundane: Bathers in Art
July 01, 2025
Stewart Ashlee, Untitled, oil on board, 2019.68.18.
Artist Unknown, Bather at Sea, mixed media, 2017.1.46.
Felix Edouard Vallotton, Les Trois Baigneuses (The Three
Bathers), woodcut, 1894, 2008.487.97.
Jay Arnold, Untitled, mixed media, 1965, 2019.63.4.
Lindy Patterson, Tea with the White Rabbit, oil on board,
2008, 2008.200.1.
Did you know that Queen Elizabeth only bathed once a month?
While this may be more out of the ordinary in current times, historically, bathing was not a daily ritual and often held spiritual significance. Archaeological finds on the Island of Crete discovered special chambers devoted to bathing. Bathhouses across the world often displayed paintings depicting the day-to-day life of ancient life that included bathing scenes. Tales of bathing and cleanliness were also written into Greek and Roman myths, reflecting the spiritual significance of baths.
The theme of bathing reappeared during the Renaissance and Baroque art movements. Many of these scenes were painted under the guise of classical and biblical themes as a means to explore the female nude. Bathing scenes were often portrayed outdoors, in ponds or streams, playing with the tension of modesty and exposure. During the 18th- and 19th-century French bathing scenes presented nudes in a naturalistic way. The modern conveniences of indoor plumbing led many painters to paint indoor scenes of their bathers.
By the 1920s, the bather had become one of the most common themes in modern art. Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Pierre Bonnard, and Jean Metzinger all depicted bathing scenes in their repertoire. Scenes by artists such as Degas and Renoir shifted the perspective and presented intimate and unidealized views of the bather. These images were less about spectacle but rather represented quieter moments of daily life.
While common throughout time, it remains a bit of a mystery why each generation of artists remain interested in the beauty of a bath session. Is it simply a theme that encompasses sexuality and the human body? Is it the connection between humans and nature? Bathing or cleaning oneself is a universal human act that is intimate, symbolic, and necessary. Artists continue to reinvent the bathing scene in ways that reflect their time, their vision, and their relationship to the body.
Explore scenes of bathers in the GVSU Art Museum Collection!
Curious about some of these famous scenes of bathers?
Here’s a list of some of our favorites:
Paul Cézanne, The Large Bathers, oil on canvas,
1898-1905.
Titian, Diana
and Actaeon
, oil on canvas, 1556-1559.
Edgar Degas, Woman
in a Tub
, pastel on paper, 1886.
Mary Cassatt, Woman Bathing
, color aquatint, 1890-1891.
Pablo Picasso, Bathers
, oil on canvas, 1918.
Jean Metzinger, The
Bathers, oil on canvas, 1913.