Girl in tub

Bathers were among the most important subjects of the 'Brücke' artists – particularly in the early Dresden period. Nude men and women in the open air are typical. In contrast, bathers within interiors are a less common motif. In 1911, Kirchner had already created an etching that featured a seated woman in a tub. He once again took up the theme in 1913, but this time in an altered form. He constructs the bending female figure with rapid, strong hatching. The curves of the bending body are repeated in the oval of the bath, which grants stability to the figure and provides closure at the base of the composition. Kirchner is less interested in the depiction of the unplanned, naturalistic moment than in investing the forms with a simplified and geometric character and composing them upon the page.