Curator, Ann Temkin: The bather is a perfect subject that combines Cézanne's interest in tradition and modernity.
There's a certain almost timelessness, even though this is a very modern picture. But there's something still very formal, right? Look at the way his two arms are placed so that his hands are on his hips forming these triangles between his body and the arms themselves. He's looking down. He's obviously very introspective, rather than being someone who’s maybe daring and extroverted.
When we look at this picture, it's actually very flat. Just imagine in your mind a traditional painting from an earlier century. There would be quite a bit of attempt on the artist's part to show the far-off distance behind the characters he's painting.
With this painting, it feels like Cézanne has put everything into the foreground. And it's almost like the figure has been pushed up right to the front of the picture plane.
So what's more important is its reality as a picture rather than some reality in actual life that the picture is merely trying to represent.