Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)
The Bather
1910
Etching
6 1/2 x 4 3/8″ (16.51 x 1.11 cm)
Wetmore Print Collection, Connecticut College
FW-0322

In this print, Renoir depicts his bather in a very Neoclassical way. Her demeanor is proud, un-self-conscious about her body without being sexualized, mimicking Greek images of goddesses often caught in a private moment bathing in the woods. Renoir’s bather also imitates Greek sculpture through the idealization of the body with her smooth, wrinkle- and dimple-free skin. Printmaking itself is a long and difficult process, further distancing this piece from the common notion of Impressionism consisting primarily of paintings spontaneously painted outdoors, with bright sunshine and brilliant use of color.