He first visited Biarritz before proceeding to Cote d’Azur or the Dinard for more encounters with the undressed ladies. His forays t the beaches inspired him to embark on paintings with a bathers theme. Two Bathers is one such painting which he created in 1920 and imbued it with a surrealist approach. The image depicts two nude women, one seated on a chair, and the other seems to be standing. The two ladies are stark naked as most of their body parts are visible. The woman standing has her breasts, belly and the pelvic region visible in the picture. The lady seated too has all her private parts, except the pubic area, exposed. She has one leg over the other, effectively blocking her pelvis from full view. The bathers have possibly been swimming, and are now taking a breather to dry out their bodies.
A closer scrutiny of the painting will reveal shocking details that one may only attribute to Picasso’s surrealist tendencies. It is rather intriguing that the sitting woman is seemingly taller than her standing counterpart. Another startling observation is the presence of more legs than would befit two human beings – there is a fifth leg across the legs of the standing lady. It is clear that Pablo Picasso was obsessed with the naked female body, and sought to impregnate their impression with a sense of mystery. Despite the mystery, Picasso seems to hit hard with his crashing reality. Men have always held the female body in awe and wonder, and throughout the ages, they have never quite had enough of it.
Pablo Picasso has many more works of art portraying naked ladies on the beach. He seems to be bringing home a strong message to his male counterparts: the female body may have many mysteries, but ogling won’t solve them. However, his paintings are an attempt to demystify the female body and make it more accessible to the male species. Two Bathers is an astounding piece of art, and anybody can find any meaning in it.
