Critiquing Pablo Picasso's Seated Bather

Art 101 Assignment Two

Pablo Picasso's Seated Bather is a very famous piece of art, it is a unique example of

an oil on canvas painting, that hangs in the Museum of Modern Art, in New York. This piece of

art is over seventy years old and still interests many viewers to this very day. It is one of

Picassos more famous and widely known works. At first glance, it a very visually striking piece,

with contrasting colors, couture line, and ironic pose. The main figure draws attention by

appearing to be a very abstract version of a nude.

"In this painting, Picasso used a relatively new and unique style of painting called

cubism, which is an abstract rendering of natural forms into geometric shapes and forms." The

subject matter of the painting is the nude figure and is thought to be by many, The artist's own

wife. Here she is dynamically twisted and has distorted in appearance. The figure is t is portrayed

as a skeletal horror by Picasso. Her back and buttocks look inhuman and the mouth is formed in

a way to resemble an insect mandible. Behind the nude female are the sea and a dreary gray sky.

"The Artists mood during the painting of Seated Bather is hinted at in the work. Picasso

used natural colors for the figure. These colors cause the viewer to feel the painting has a sense

of realism. The subtle color and flow of the water show that Picasso most likely was not rushed

and felt calm and relaxed." Many feel that the Picasso is representing his relationship to women

as a sort of rivalry between attraction a repulsion since nothing in this art piece to be pleasing,

except the painters own artistic skills.

Malone 2

Even though some see this work as a masterpiece, it seems to me the creation of a man

with a very distorted view of the world. The artwork so not pleasing to the eye at all due to the

monstrous and grouse likeness that is portrayed. It is clear for all to see, that the artist was

indeed attracted to the female form but viewed women or at least his wife, as being twisted either

mentally or and emotionally. I feel this is the bad example of art because it was created on

purport to be pleasing to look at but instead to entice the audience to attempt to grasp the

symbolic meaning of the painting.