The Bathers

By representing the human figure in a natural setting, Edwin Holgate avoided the controversy fomented by reactionary critics who doubted whether the nude had a place in Canadian art. In The Bathers, the two figures dominate the space of the painting, their heads and curved backs describing a sweeping circular movement. Holgate combined them skilfully with the landscape, through not only the repeated outlines but also the tonalities: the whiteness of the water’s foam is echoed in the towels, and the shades of brown, yellow and green in the rocks and foliage are reflected in the flesh tones.