Bathing Women | MSK Gent
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Bathing Women, ca. 1907

  • oil paint, canvas
  • 150.6 x 120.8 cm
  • Inv. 1979-J

Public Domain

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The misery of emigrants and beggars was Eugène Laermans’ favourite subject. His other rural depictions also usually exude a sombre atmosphere. In his vision, even a light-hearted scene with bathers acquires a serious, almost ritualistic character. With their solid forms and heavy outlines the characters have an archetypal quality. Laermans created several versions of Women Bathing; but the composition in two of the paintings is spread more broadly. The composition in this painting was also originally wider: on the lower right of the work we see a seated figure that has been painted over. The painting in Ghent emphasises the monumentality of the figures and the landscape is of little importance to the artist. The rear view of the nude woman is derived from a painting by Jacob Jordaens, The Allegory of Fertility (Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels).

Artist

Eugène Laermans RKD VIAF Wikidata
Molenbeek-Saint-Jean 1864 - Molenbeek-Saint-Jean 1940
painters (artists)AAT

Title Bathing Women
Date ca. 1907
Period 20th century
Signatures, inscriptions, and markings signatures (names) bottom right: Eug. Laermans
Collection paintings AAT
Object type oil paintings (visual works) AAT
Inventory number 1979-J
Acquisition credit purchase
Galerie Aktueel
Ghent
1979
Current whereabouts Work currently not on display
Permalink https://mskgent.be/collection/work/data/1979-J
IIIF Manifest https://imagehub.mskgent.be/iiif/3/3146/manifest.json
Art & Architecture Thesaurus 300189808 figures (representations) AAT
25H landscapes Iconclass
Keywords Iconclass 21D water (one of the four elements) Iconclass
25G11 groups of trees Iconclass
25G3 trees Iconclass
25G31 shrubs Iconclass
25H1 landscapes in the temperate zone Iconclass
25H153 bush, shrubs ~ forest Iconclass
25H2 landscapes with waters, waterscapes, seascapes (in the temperate zone) Iconclass
25H21 water course Iconclass
25H213 river Iconclass
25H217 river bank Iconclass
25I3 farm or solitary house in landscape Iconclass
26A clouds Iconclass
31A2772 bathing (movement in water) Iconclass
31A54 washing and bathing Iconclass
31A5463 towel Iconclass
31A72 female sex; woman Iconclass
31AA the (nude) human figure; 'Corpo humano' (Ripa) - AA - female human figure Iconclass
31AA231 standing figure - AA - female human figure Iconclass
31AA2772 bathing (movement in water) - AA - female human figure Iconclass
31AA545 taking a bath - AA - in the open air Iconclass
31AA546 toilet articles ~ washing and bathing - AA - in the open air Iconclass
31D111 infant, baby ~ the ages of man Iconclass
31D112 child Iconclass
31D1121 tot, toddler ~ the ages of man Iconclass
31D15 adult woman Iconclass
31D17 old woman Iconclass
41A17 farm (building) Iconclass
46A222 rural life Iconclass
School / Style naturalism (artistic form of expression) AAT
Eugène Laermans (Fonds Richard de Moor). - [s.l.] : [s.n.], [s.a.]
Eugène Laermans 1864-1940 (Tentoonstelling Brussel, Galerie van het Gemeentekrediet, 17.03.1995 - 25.06.1995) / Philippe Roberts-Jones, Jean Puissant, Pierre Baudson, Michel Draguet. - Brussel : Gemeentekrediet, 1995 (p. 20)
200 jaar verzamelen : Collectieboek Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent / Arnout Balis, Robert Hoozee, Maximiliaan P.J. Martens, Paul Van Haute. - Gent : Ludion, 2000 (p. 270 (ill. 94))
D'Ensor à Magritte dans les collections du Musée de Gand (exposition Lodève, Musée de Lodève-Hôtel du Cardinal de Fleury, 19 novembre 2004 - 27 février 2005) / Maïthé Vallès-Bled, Robert Hoozee, Johan De Smet, Helke Lauwaert, Bruno Fornari. - Lodève : Musée de Lodève, 2004 ; Milano : Mazzotta, 2004 (p. 141-143, cat. 36)
Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent : Catalogus schilderkunst ; Deel I: 14de - 18de eeuw ; Deel II: 19de - 20ste eeuw / Robert Hoozee, Johan De Smet, Bruno Fornari, Ruth Monteyne. - Gent : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2007 (dl. II, p. 208-209 (ill.))
Door het oog van de kunstenaar / Frank Joseph Goes. - [s.l.]. - Frank Joseph Goes, 2017 (p.111)
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