BATHER by Sean Jantzi
David Hockney never failed to capture the understated beauty of the backyard swimming pool. The seemingly simple and often overlooked subject matter found a place forever cemented in pop art history with his defining work ‘A Bigger Splash’.
In 1961, the same year Hockney found inspiration in the Californian pools he flew over during his first trip to America, Tom Wesselmann was beginning to develop his series: The Great American Nude which unapologetically blended boldly rendered material goods and seductive nude figures. His aim was never to equate the two, but rather explore form and composition with impactful imagery.
As art critic David Cohen put it “It is not [...] that he was revealing the eroticism of a Coke bottle so much as the fizzy delight of a nude.” ‘Bather’ pays homage to Hockney and Wesselmann and the strides they made during the most defining eras of their respective careers. The colours, forms, compositions and subject matter they forged into the history of pop-art is a constant inspiration within my own practice and will continue to inform my work in the future.
Acrylic on canvas, signed by artist lower right. Framed in solid walnut.
Size: 40"W x 40"H
Year: 2023
Artist: Sean Jantzi
* Price includes Framing