Girls Bathing 1932

Shelby Shackelford created this woodcut print called "Girls Bathing" in 1932. The image is dominated by the contrast between light and shadow, achieved through bold cuts into the woodblock. Notice how this stark contrast accentuates the figures' forms and imbues the scene with a sense of drama. Shackelford uses expressive lines to define the contours of the figures and the geometric shapes in the background. The composition is structured around the dynamic poses of the women, one solid and present, and the other a more ghostly representation of a figure in motion. The artist’s interest lies in portraying bodies which are robust and sensuous. This work destabilizes traditional notions of beauty and form by emphasizing volume and physicality. The figures occupy a flattened space, challenging conventional perspective. The print’s graphic style and emphasis on strong lines echo the broader artistic concerns of modernism. It invites us to reconsider fixed meanings of the female form and engage with alternative modes of representation.