Recreating "The Bath"
This is Alfred Stevens, Le Bain, translated The Bath, c. 1867. The work depicts a woman reclining in the bath, a pair of white roses dangling from one hand, and a book open at her side. She is gazing off into the distance and seems unaware of the gaze of the viewer. Her jewelry (a gold bangle and ring) indicate she might be of a higher class, as does her running water, and ability to read. Stevens was well known for his paintings of “elegant, modern women” (n.d.).
In my photograph, I attempted to recreate The Bath with a dear friend of mine, Clementine. Clem is an Animal Educator at CSU Denver Extension, and she was thrilled to have the opportunity to model for me. Clementine, a Redline Bearded Dragon, lacks the supple skin of Alfred’s woman in the bath, but what she lacks in softness she makes up for in poise. She is delicately reclined to the side of the bath, leaning one arm over the tub. She also gazes into the middle distance, contemplating the meaning of life and her overwhelming adoration of Dubia Roaches. Lacking thumbs, Clem has difficulty gripping small objects, but a quick digital edit allows us to crop in two white roses, so important to the integrity of the original Bath. Digital manipulation also allows us to soften and the photo, further imitating Stevens’ naturalistic, Dutch-genre strokes.
All in all, a delightful photo shoot with a wonderfully willing model has allowed us to reproduce Alfred Stevens “The Bath” with incredible clarity. I urge you to try and pick the original from the reproduction. I dare say, many find it a challenge.
If you are interested in more of Clementine’s work feel free to follow her on Instagram @Clem_TheLadyDragon. She is a hard working young lizard and I would be remiss to not encourage you to check out her page. Clementine would like to thank @Denver4H for the opportunity, and @JenJennandJenny for supplying the set and her photography “expertise”.
Sources:
Alfred Stevens (painter). n.d. In Wikipedia. Retrieved October 20, 2017,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Stevens_(painter)