Display Explanation:
My installation at an art museum would be a room designed to make the guests feel like they are outside by recreating the background from the painting into the room. In the center of the room, there is a large pond with a small waterfall. As you enter the room, there is a trail for the guests to follow which leads to Women Bathing. The painting itself is sitting on a fancy stone pedestal with a sign stating the name of the painting, the author, and the year it was painted. There is soft lighting to symbolize early morning light to match that of the painting. Lush green plants are lining the path and as the guest walks closer to the painting, it feels as if they are coming upon the opening of a field to make them feel as if they are in the same scene that is in the painting. The mix of the lighting and the decorations are supposed to make the guests feel welcome and drawn to the painting and make them feel comfortable, just like the people in the artwork itself. As you continue on the trail the lighting is slowly getting brighter and brighter, and the scenery is changing to show that the guest is now approaching the next painting, Bathers. The lighting is now symbolizing late afternoon with the painting sitting on a marble pedestal with the name of the painting, the author, and the year it was made. Compared to the last painting there is not much decoration surrounding this painting and the pedestal, since the painting only has a few trees along with the people in the foreground. The wall behind the painting itself is painted to make it feel as if the room expands into an open field. Altogether, it looks like the painting is showing the guests what has happened at the edge of this field in the past, and the guests can see exactly what was happening by looking at the painting of the women bathing together. As the path continues the lighting darkens and the scenery changes from bright green grass to dirt to show the guest that they are approaching the last painting, Les Grandes Baigneuses. When approaching the final art piece, the guest is greeted by the painting sitting on a dark wooden pedestal with information of the painting on it. The pedestal is in between one bigger tree on the right and three skinnier trees on the left. The wall behind the painting is painted to reflect the background of the actual artwork itself. The lighting is dim to reflect the time of day in Les Grandes Baigneuses and to recreate the atmosphere of the painting. Once the guest is done looking at each artwork, it is suggested that they take a second to stand there and look at the room as a whole to see how the room makes them feel. Since the room is decorated to make the guest feel like they are in nature, they should feel like they are experiencing the worlds in which each painting takes place and make them feel similar to the people in them, too.
Installation Note:
This installation consists of three different artworks, Women Bathing, Bathers, and Les Grandes Baigneuses, all by French artist Paul Cézanne. Each of the pieces of art depicts groups of women bathing together, which at first glance is very sexual, but with further examination, it is not the type of sex you would think. The sexuality shown in each of these paintings is what connects them together since each of them are showing women who are comfortable enough with their bodies to come together and bathe in front of each other. The image that the installation is inspired by is Les Grandes Baigneuses, by Paul Cézanne. I was unsure of what type of painting to pair with this one, but then I was inspired by the presence of nature and the group of women within the painting. Not long after deciding what type of painting I wanted, I came across Bathers, by Paul Cézanne. This painting was exactly what I was looking for because it not only had women bathing in it, but it showed them bathing in a different place and time of day than the first one. With this, I decided that the installation itself would recreate the vibe of each painting in the room where they are being put on display. Sticking with the theme of bathing as a group in nature, I decided to choose another art piece by Paul Cézanne, Women Bathing. With my third and final piece selected, I decided to look at each of them closely. I already knew that each piece had women bathing in nature, but I wanted to figure out what made each of them special to capitalize on those differences by recreating them in the room itself. The biggest differences between each of the paintings were the color scheme and the setting. Since each color scheme was similar but different, each of the paintings looked like they were set at different times of the day. This not only helped make the paintings flow from one to the other in the installation, but it also shows the beauty of each time of day along with the beauty of the women in the lighting and scenery. Therefore, I decided to use Women Bathing as early morning, Bathers as anywhere from midday to afternoon, and Les Grandes Baigneuses as early night. The time of day adds to the sexuality of each painting by showing women in different lighting and bathing. The women are carefree in front of each other and do not mind if they see each other naked, but bathing in the morning or at night where there is not as much light can make it harder for them to see each other, and leave more of their bodies up to their imagination if it is harder to see each other. But if they are bathing in the middle of the day, like in Bathers, then there is nothing left up to the women’s imaginations. To show this in the installation, I decided to recreate each scene from the painting and mimic the lighting to make the guests feel the mood that the lighting provokes and give them a glimpse of what it would be like to be inside the painting itself.