The Bath of Diana c. 1855

Camille Corot created this painting of ‘The Bath of Diana’ using oils on canvas. Notice how the painting is structured; it is split into two distinct spaces, where the figures act as the visual hinge. The figures are grouped formally with the landscape, so much so that it is the landscape that dictates the meaning of the figures, rather than the other way around. Diana and her nymphs are placed within a recess of trees, almost concealed from the viewer, the composition guiding our eyes to the figures by virtue of light and shadow. Corot seems to use the figures to make sense of nature, which could otherwise be overwhelming. He creates a formal and thematic harmony; the light dapples across the water and the figures, unifying them, their whiteness stark against the darkening forest, drawing us further into the scene. What Corot achieves is a natural scene balanced by the aesthetic demands of classical painting. He gives us form and structure while evoking a myth.