After the Bath

Additional texteDescription: Anders Zorn has come to be associated with paintings of nude young women bathing. In his early paintings on this theme, such as After the Bath from 1895, the women seem unaware of the spectator. They are not posing, but are simply captured on canvas while undressing or concentrating on getting out of the water. This spontaneous character is naturally false, and the nudity is a vital element in the painting. Nevertheless, these paintings are not primarily erotic; instead, the emphasis is on the effect of light. The nude body is hazy, to serve as a sculptural shape in the play of light and shadow in the overall composition. Exhibition text: Zorn painted a number of works depicting bathing women from Dalarna. In early paintings of this kind, like After the Bath from 1895, the women seem unaware of the viewer’s presence. Although apparently unposed, this is of course an illusion and nudity is one of the important elements in the work. But at the same time these paintings are also intended to depict the effect of light. Often, as here, the naked bodies are indistinct and form part of the overall interplay of light and shadow.