Study for ‘Bathing the Baby’ c. 1939

Editor: This is William Roberts' "Study for 'Bathing the Baby'" from the Tate Collections. It looks like a simple domestic scene, but the figures are oddly stylized. What do you make of this piece? Curator: Roberts, as a war artist, experienced the shift from avant-garde Vorticism to depicting everyday life post-war. Do you notice how the figures are somewhat monumental, yet the setting is humble? Consider the public role of art then: reflecting on rebuilding society, celebrating family, but with a nod to modernism. Editor: So, it's both familiar and strange, reflecting the period's tensions? Curator: Precisely. The gridded background also suggests a clinical, almost detached observation of intimacy, raising questions about the changing representation of family life. It's about more than just bathing a baby. Editor: I hadn't considered the impact of those socio-political forces on what seems like a simple scene. Thanks!