Bathing — Framed Poster

Two pale bodies break the surface of a summer river in Somov's Bathing. Limbs catch the light where they rise from the water, and the current folds back over them in ribbons of grey and green. Look closely and the water carries its own weight. Somov builds the surface from short, layered strokes of jade, slate blue and milky white, so the ripples seem to close over the swimmers a half-second after each movement. Skin is handled differently, kept smooth and warm, painted in cream and rose tones that hold their glow against the cool wash around them. Trees crowd the far bank in deep emerald, their shadows sliding across the shallows. A sunlit corner of a bedroom or a bright reading nook suits the cool clarity of this scene best. Every reproduction is produced with archival pigment on heavy cotton stock, with color matched to the original at high resolution.