The Bathers
Artwork Description
The Bathers is a painting inspired by George Seurats Bathers at Asnieres. This is what Kenneth Clark said in his introduction to his essay on Seurats painting: There are moments on hot summer days when we are prepared for a miracle. The stillness and the gently vibrating haze give to our perceptions a kind of finality, and we wait listening for some cosmic hum to enchant the uncouth shapes and colors which surround us, so that they all dance to the same tune and finally come to rest in a harmonious order. When I came to making this painting, rearranging Seurats composition to fit my own needs, I had Kenneth Clarks words in mind. Each element in the painting, and its placement, is designed to create a sense that all is well with the world that these bears inhabit. I did change the time of day so that it was closer to the end of the day when the mountains become the most quiet and still. If there is a moment in time when I would wish to be stopped, it is this one.
