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Frank Weston Benson

The Bather, 1897

Description

Maker

  • Frank Weston Benson, 1862-1951, American

Title

The Bather

Year

1897

Medium

Oil on canvas

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • oil paint

Supports

  • canvas

Dimensions

101.6 x 70.5 cm (40 x 27 11/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signed LL:F. W. Benson / 1897

Type

  • Paintings

Credit

Gift of Isaac C. Bates

Object Number

97.001

Projects & Publications

Publications

Selection VII

American Painting from the Museum's Collection, c.1800-1930

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Joseph Lindon Smith and His Circle in Dublin, New Hampshire

October 14, 1998 - March 3, 1999

The Bather demonstrates the rigorous French academic training that Benson received at the Academie Julian in Paris between 1883 and 1885. Although painting from a live model was a common practice in Parisian studios, only one other nude figure study by Benson survives. During these years, he shared a studio with Joseph Lindon Smith, a fellow student from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The two maintained a demanding work schedule and an active social life. Because a European education was considered by many to be a prerequisite for American artists of the late nineteenth century, the studios of Paris and resort towns of France teemed with American students. In the summer of 1884, Benson and Smith traveled to Concarneau in Brittany, the residence of many artists and writers. It was the first of several summers they spent together. Benson and his wife Ellen Perry Peirson made their first trip to Dublin in 1889 and returned there four of the following five years.

Nude Figure

December 20, 1996 - April 20, 1997

From the Reserve IV

July 22 - October 2, 1994

Following the Light

September 20 - November 10, 1991

Selection VII

March 31 - May 8, 1977

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is The Bather with the accession number of 97.001. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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