COVE

Display Explanation: In front of you, we have three encaptivating pieces that display women and their beauty. On the left, we have “Les trois baigneuses (Three Bathers)” by Henri Matisse: 55 cm high and 52 cm wide, (21.7 inches by 20.5 inches). As you continue to approach, you will see placed slightly in front of Matisse will be “The Large Bathers” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir: 46 1/4 in x 67 5/16 in (117.5 cm x 171 cm). At the end of this installation on the right placed in line with Matisse’s work, you will see “Les Grandes Baigneuses” or Women Bathing by Paul Cézanne: 127.2 cm by 196.1 cm (50 in by 77 in). The images are displayed on their easels in a triangular shape. This has the larger image as the point, and the two smaller ones are pushed more to the back, in line with each other. This shape was chosen to highlight the different nature settings and their significance to our images. Triangles can symbolize strength and unity, which is something the women symbolize. They are united together in their most pure and vulnerable form, defying the taboo of bathing publicly or being pictured in an “unflattering” pose, which takes strength and confidence. Matisse and Cézanne chose an outdoor setting without the women being inside the water, but in Renoir's piece, at least 3 of the women pictured are submerged in a body of water. These easel placements are meant to highlight the sexualized perceptions of a woman's body and to convey to viewers that nudity is natural and beautiful; sensual rather than sexual. The image with women in water is placed in the front because it brings forward the idea of rinsing off these ideas. The other two are placed behind because they depict the women drying off. I also chose this to highlight the raw depiction of the woman’s body by Renoir. Matisse and Cézanne included the women in “unnatural” poses that are not usually seen as sexual or pleasurable, but there is less inclusion of the folds of a natural body. Renoir is placed as the point of the triangle because it is easiest to see the "undesirable" features of the body.  These easels would be displayed on green stands and in front of a blue backdrop or wall. I think this would help highlight the environmental aspect of the 3 pieces. This part of the installation is extremely important because it encases the beauty of nature and being natural. The women pictured are natural; they are naked, bathing, and conversing with one another as humans do. But the nature in the background is one of the most significant parts of all images. Nature is something so universally beautiful, and it is widely believed to be pure and forceful. Nature is also referred to as “Mother Nature” or “a force to be reckoned with”. Nature provides us with air and nutrients, helping us to grow. Women bear children, giving them nutrients and growing them in their wombs. To me, having these women surrounded by nature includes them in this idea, displaying that women are much more than just a body. They are beautiful, powerful, pure, and have similar attributes to those we associate with nature. As you walk through this installation, I want the focus to be on the women’s confidence and natural beauty. I chose the layout to highlight the uniqueness of the group, and then also tie in the inclusion of a nature background and the beauty it adds to the powerful unity of the women.  

Installation Note:This installation includes “Les trois baigneuses (Three Bathers)” by Henri Matisse,  “The Large Bathers” by Pierre- Auguste Renoir, and “Les Grandes Baigneuses” or Women Bathing by Paul Cézanne. This installation is meant to glorify the women painted and show off their beauty, regardless of what those viewing the painting believed was desirable. I curated the installation with these images because I think they were an earlier emphasis on body positivity and defying the male gaze. Showing the women doing something natural with others while being nude defied the societal standard of the time and allowed women to exert the power of their bodies beyond just what males liked. Being nude was not something you did in front of others, being large was not perceived as the most beautiful, and being confident in who she was in her skin was something uncommon. The women are depicted in positions that are natural and not posed. I chose these pieces because they emphasize that not all women look the same, but they all deserve to be painted. These women are not seeing bathing as something sexual, and they are doing it together, making the images a testament to bathing being a normal activity, and not something to be sexualized by men or others viewing. This installation shows the diversity of bodies and the diversity of beauty. All women are not all the same size, and they have different attributes. Some women pictured are curvier and have larger bums, larger bellies, or skinnier frames. However, they were all portrayed with the same care and beauty. All women were painted with shadows or light that drew attention to certain parts of the body, showing that there is something beautiful about everyone, no matter what they look like. These images were chosen because they display natural bodies that have not been objectified or sexualized. They all display the beauty of nature and a natural woman; someone who is not perceived to be perfect; someone who has rolls and folds and flaws, but someone confident and content with being herself around other women in an open setting. I also think the backgrounds play a huge role in the images chosen. The settings are not all the same, but they are all beautiful. This goes hand in hand with the perception of the woman’s body. The natural background contributes to the beauty of the paintings but also contributes to the relationship between women and nature. Nature is described as beautiful, pure, powerful, and motherly. These are attributes that can also be used to describe a woman. The fact that the women are in water puts a spin on the association of water and purity, and nudity with eroticism or sexual behaviors. The colors in the paintings are bright and attractive, associating a happy feeling and brightness to something that is usually in the dark or private. Each painting has at least one woman holding a white towel, which is a color associated with purity and something angelic. The colors chosen in all 3 are carefully chosen to highlight the beauty and evoke admiring emotions from the viewer, which I liked. These paintings display the power of femininity and the angelic and beautiful vibe the women and their bodies in natural form are giving off. Showing women doing natural things while naked, shows that being nude is not something that should always be sexualized, which is something we see often in art that depicts naked individuals. I composed my installation with these 3 images because I believe they are all paintings that show women in a natural state. They show the viewers the purity behind nudity and not the controversy of the male gaze. This installation breaks down the idea of a woman's body being perfectly fit only for a man to see and protests the idea that the naked body is just for sexual pleasure. 

Matisse, Henri. Les trois baigneuses (Three Bathers).1907. Minneapolis Institute of Art. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Matisse#/media/File:Henri_Matisse,_1907,_Les_trois_baigneuses_(Three_Bathers),_oil_on_canvas,_60.3_x_73_cm,_The_Minneapolis_Institute_of_Arts.jpg. Accessed 28 Feb 2025.  

Renoir, Pierre-Auguste. The Large Bathers. 1884-87. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Grandes_Baigneuses_(Renoir) Accessed 24 Feb. 2025. 

Cézanne, Paul. Les Grandes Baigneuses or Women Bathing. 1900. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_Bathing_%28C%C3%A9zanne%29 Accessed 24 Feb 2025.