Women Bathing
1912
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1912
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Women Bathing is a 1912 by Max Pechstein, depicting bathing, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This painting shows four women in a pond, their bodies half-hidden by the water. Two stand on the muddy bank, one washes a child’s hair, and another holds a basket of laundry. The colors are muted greens and browns, with quick brushstrokes that blur the background. Pechstein painted this in 1912, right before World War I changed Germany forever. The scene feels quiet but tense, like a moment before something big happens. Look up Max Pechstein (German, 1881–1955) to see how his style shifts after the war.
