The Bathers
1550
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1550
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
The Bathers is a 1550 by Michele Greco Lucchese, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This print shows two muscular men in a rocky landscape. One stands tall, pointing upward with one arm while holding a cloth over his groin with the other. The other man sits lower, leaning on his knees with his head down. Trees and buildings peek out in the background, but the focus is on the men’s strong, detailed bodies. The artist used deep contrasts between light and dark to shape the figures, giving them a three-dimensional look. The lines are sharp, almost like a sketch come to life. Check out chiaroscuro to see how this lighting trick works.
A print on paper titled *The Bathers* reproduces a group of three figures derived from a cartoon by Michelangelo, later attributed to Michele Greco Lucchese, and includes the monogram "M L" inscribed at the lower right.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Prints from the late 1500s often show dramatic religious scenes or classical myths in stark black and white.
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