Three Boys Bathing by a Canal

Artist Paula Modersohn-Becker (German, 1876–1907)

Date1901

MediumWurmsche Tempera on cardboard, mounted on wood

DimensionsBoard: 54.3 × 39.4 cm (21 3/8 × 15 1/2 in.)
framed: 69.5 × 54.6 × 5.7 cm (27 3/8 × 21 1/2 × 2 1/4 in.)

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineStoddard Acquisition Fund

Object number2019.48

Label TextModersohn-Becker’s earliest work focuses on the rural landscape of northwestern Germany. Along with other artists and writers—among them her husband Otto Modersohn, poet Rainer Maria Rilke, and his wife Clara Rilke-Westhoff—she found inspiration in a pre-industrial peat-farming community in Worpswede. During several visits to Paris beginning in 1899, however, she encountered the work of Van Gogh, Cézanne, and Gauguin. This painting, created shortly after her return to Worpswede, demonstrates the influence of these artists, specifically the vivid palette, asymmetrical composition, and experimentation with new paints and surface texture. Most importantly, this painting shows her engagement with the nude and introduction of figures into her landscapes. Due to the scarcity of models in Worpswede, she looked to the local population—here, three malnourished boys. Her unique approach to painting—often called proto-Expressionist—was tragically cut short, when she died at age 31 shortly after giving birth.Provenanceformerly from collection of Fred S. Julius, sold through Galerie St. Etienne to the Worcester Art Museum, 2019.

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