Four Bathers 1878

Paul Cézanne painted 'Four Bathers' using oil on canvas, with each brushstroke contributing to the artwork’s overall form. The visible texture and weight of the paint provide a tactile quality, and the density of the medium emphasizes the labor that went into this piece. In contrast to the industrial products of the time, each application of paint by Cézanne was a direct engagement with the material, imbuing the piece with a sense of handcrafted authenticity. The subject, of course, has a long pedigree in Western art. But rather than portraying idealized figures, Cézanne's bathers are rendered with a distinct focus on form and volume, their bodies constructed from successive layers of paint. The thickness of the oil paint, and the evident process of layering and building, remind us of the artist's physical and intellectual labor. By valuing the process of making as much as the subject itself, Cézanne challenged the traditional hierarchy between fine art and craft.