Paul Cezanne - Group of Bathers Tablecloth

Group of Bathers (Groupe de baigneurs), painted between 1892 and 1894 in oil on canvas by French Post-Impressionist Paul Cézanne. A group of male bathers is arranged beside a river, with the bodies forming a compact sequence of bends, diagonals and upright poses. Cézanne treats flesh, water and vegetation with related strokes, outlining the figures in blue and enlivening them with touches of coral flesh tones. Compared with his earthier green-and-ochre bathers of the 1870s, this work reflects the brighter palette of the 1890s. The figures are also more slender, with proportions and poses closer to the ancient Greek sculptures that inspired Cézanne. The work belongs to the mature series in which he repeatedly reworked a small repertory of bather poses. By shifting scale and position from one version to another, he transformed a traditional classical subject into an experiment in structure and balance. The scene may also evoke memories of swimming with friends in the Provençal countryside during his youth.