Swimmer #3 1983

Curator: We’re looking at Betty Goodwin’s "Swimmer #3," created in 1983 using watercolor and ink on paper. Editor: My initial impression is one of fragility. The translucent washes and the subject matter combine to create a sense of vulnerability, of near-dissolution. Curator: Goodwin’s “Swimmers” series speaks to the vulnerability inherent in the human condition. The swimmer is a potent symbol, suggesting immersion, baptism, perhaps even struggle against an unseen current. The human figure, so fragile, against the weight and depth of the water, that is a continuous theme through art history that invites contemplation. Editor: I'm struck by the diptych format; that vertical seam slicing through the body. It disorients the figure, disrupting any sense of easy narrative and reinforcing the sense of instability that seeps from the figure and pools around the picture plane like the pooling paint. Curator: This disruption echoes postmodern anxieties, specifically humanity's relationship with the body, identity, and mortality in the face of constant change and, in her later work, historical traumas. This form has been used as altarpieces with two panels—do you think she might have seen herself in this light? As someone who can see deeper to the sacred meaning that lies inside? Editor: Perhaps. But formally, it also seems to function as a kind of visual distancing effect. By fracturing the composition, Goodwin compels the viewer to actively assemble the image. Curator: The muted, almost sickly palette further enhances that sensation of unease. The greens are not vibrant or life-affirming, instead evoking a sense of stagnation and a body facing unknown turmoil. What sort of narrative emerges in the work’s liminal spaces? Editor: Well, that’s just it, isn’t it? I find the beauty here precisely in that ambiguity. It resists definitive interpretation and that's part of what makes it so compelling. Curator: Looking at Goodwin’s swimmer now, I see not only fragility but also resilience. The marks may be light, the palette muted, but there is a profound, unyielding humanness here. Editor: Ultimately, the "Swimmer #3" resides within this liminal space, doesn’t it? Between vulnerability and strength, representation and abstraction. Its elusiveness continues to stir in the visual undertow.