Description of the picture:
Morning. Bathers – Kuzma Sergeevich Petrov-Vodkin. 1917. Oil on canvas. 161×129 cm
“Morning. Bathers ”- a picture that carries all the stylistic features of the letter of the outstanding Russian artist Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin. Incredibly harmonious, integral and, so to speak, very beautiful in painting, she is devoid of any eroticism, although she presents the naked mother and child to the viewer.
The figures on the canvas are clearly and coarse, so they almost touch the edges of the canvas. The plot is simple and ordinary – a mother leads her son’s хэнд to swim. Their images are imbued with chastity and tenderness. The faces of all the characters in the picture are restrained and spiritualized. Critics like to repeat that, recreating female characters in his works, Petrov-Vodkin sought to visualize his attitude to the Russian woman as a whole. And the personal representation of the master can be described as pride, admiration and worship, so it is not surprising that often the heroines of the painter are called Madonnas.
In addition to the composition, which is distinguished by a certain “circumcision” characteristic of the artist, the picture attracts attention with its color and the character of the image. The image of the heroes cannot be called flat, but he also lacks the volume. Color has tremendous expressive power – blue, green, white, golden and, of course, red, which is always accentuated by the master, skillfully arranged on the canvas.
Without embellishment, Petrov-Vodkin managed to create ideal images, abandoning realism, achieved harmony and truthfulness – “Morning. Bathers ”is an iconic work of the artist, which reflected his idealized and such a real world."