Bañistas en Perros-Guirec
1909-1912
Maurice Denis, a pioneer of the Nabis and Symbolist movements, turns a simple family vacation into a decorative masterpiece here. Set on the rocky coast of Perros-Guirec in Brittany, the scene features women in flowing dresses and nude bathers lounging against a backdrop of deep blue sea. In the distance, children in striped swimsuits wade in the waves, capturing the leisurely spirit of early 20th-century summer holidays. Denis famously declared that a painting is 'a flat surface covered with colors assembled in a certain order,' and this work proves it—he sacrifices realistic depth for a harmonious, rhythmic composition of pastel blues, pinks, and warm ochres that feels almost like a stained-glass window come to life.
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