Historien de larmes

vol. I - Frédéric Bazille - the artist & his social network

I wish I could learn about Frederic Bazille during my Art History studies. He seemed like a really passionned man. He went to Paris officially for medicine studies, but he actually learned about painting. As he came from a rich family in Montpellier, France, he was able to support his fellow painters, by sharing his workshop or his house with them (such as Manet, Sisley, Renoir). Obviously, they spent some time painting each other.

He was a really close friend to Renoir and Sisley, but his closest friend was Edmond Maître (subject of the last picture). This proximity with the other artists got especially intimate, because they shared both their working place, and living place. With Edmond Maître it was different, they also had a shared passion for music, they went to concerts together, and had an exchange of letters fueled by their passions. The queer art historian I am love to think they might have been more than just friends. But the truth about it seems impossible to find.

part. 4/4 - Reclaiming the Male Gaze

To wrap up my series on the gaze, I wanted to dive into the water. In art history, "The Bather" was often a feminine trope. But in contemporary cinema, the lens has shifted.

Looking at Alain Guiraudie’s Stranger by the Lake (L’Inconnu du Lac) and Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name, we see two sides of the same coin:

The Raw Gaze (L'Inconnu du Lac): Here, the lake is a theater of voyeurism. The camera is static, almost clinical. It’s a predatory, honest, and dangerous gaze. The bodies aren't idealized like in a Weber shoot; they are real, exposed, and caught in a cycle of desire and death.

The Sensory Gaze (Call Me By Your Name): This is the opposite—a gaze of longing and nostalgia. The water is a place of rebirth and discovery. The camera lingers on skin, fruit, and water with a tenderness that feels like a memory.

We are now far from the polished male antique-like statues : Guiraudie and Guadagnino give these men a narrative. They aren't just objects to be looked at; they are subjects who feel the gaze of the other.

part. 3/4 : Intimacy or intrusion ?

Jason Bear Pond Adirondack Park, Bruce Weber, New York, 1989.

There is no denying the magnetic pull of a Bruce Weber photograph. His work redefined the visual language of the 80s and 90s, creating a world that felt both aspirational and raw.

What strikes me most is the triangular tension in his compositions:

The Models: Often caught in moments of vulnerability or defiant strength.

The Viewer: Invited into a private, sun-drenched sanctuary.

The Photographer: Always felt, never seen—the invisible hand guiding the gaze.

It’s a masterclass in the "gaze" as a dialogue. However, we can't look at these images in 2026 without acknowledging the darker reality behind the lens. The numerous allegations of sexual misconduct against Weber have fundamentally shifted how we consume his art.

part. 2/4 : Hockney's pools - a story in three chapters

David Hockney's swimming pools are essential viewing when it comes to the theme of bathers. His iconic style on the subject of swimming pools has generated at least three emblematic works that I'm going to discuss. These three works mark three milestones in the relationship between David Hockney and Peter Schlesinger.

Peter getting out of Nick’s Pool, David Hockney, 1966, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.

In this first work, the famous Peter is Peter Schlesinger, a student of Hockney's and later his partner. Obviously, the gaze here is Hockney's towards his partner. For this work, the artist worked from a Polaroid camera, which ultimately reinforces the voyeuristic aspect.

A bigger Splash, David Hockney, 1967, Tate Britain, London.

Here, there are no figures; Peter is not visible. Hockney even indicated that he was inspired by photos in swimming pool catalogs. However, this splash is full of energy and chronologically placed at the beginning of the relationship between the two men.

Portrait of an artist (pool with two figures), David Hockney, 1972, collection privée.

part. 1/4 - Tension & Exposure

I saved this approach for last, perhaps the first time I've dared to speak of nudity and the interplay of glances and seduction. But it's a third aspect that's important. The subject of the communal bath opens up this third, ultimately very sensual, dimension through games, particularly those involving glances.

Le Pêcheur à l'épervier, Frédéric Bazille, 1868, fondation Rau pour le Tiers-Monde, Zurich.

Sometimes it's even the criticism and reception of a work that confer these characteristics upon it. This is indeed the case for this oil on canvas by Bazille, which was rejected by the Salon because it was deemed too trivial (he's a simple fisherman, not an ancient hero, so his nudity is problematic). "Too much realism"—if the nude is disturbing, it's because it carries a certain taboo, certainly still very much present in the second half of the 19th century.

In any case, I'd like to draw your attention to the model's gaze. Does he look at his pray or does he look at the viewer more ? I'll try to limit any interpretation, which would be all too easy. In any case, there's another perspective that also matters enormously in this game, and that's the one the viewer reflects back at the model.

In any case, compared to the other themes explored, the attention to anatomy is particularly faithful. We maintain this sense of shared paradise with the other subject in the background who seems to be finishing undressing (or beginning to dress again), and especially with the verdant setting of the Montpellier countryside. In fact, some believe it's preparatory work for the Scène d'été mentioned earlier.

And so concludes this post for this third installment. As promised, I haven't finished sharing the work of Frédéric Bazille with you, who, incidentally, inspired part of next month's theme. One last look, and see you very soon for the next piece.

part. 6/6 : Swimming pool & french cinema

Two films, two approaches (one based on a true story), one theme. When the swimming pool and sports become a sanctuary. All sense of hierarchy disappears once the swimsuit is on. Outside life fades away, and a space of freedom is found.

Le Grand Bain, Gilles Lelouche, 2018.

It is the collective that creates this safe space, an environment where the men of the Grand Bain come to rebuild themselves and where Les Crevettes Pailletées team comes to celebrate their uniqueness together, without facing the stigma of the outside world.

Among the other common elements is the notion that it is not athletic victory that constitutes achievement, but rather the success of having come together as a group. This group also comes to the aid of the external element added to this collective: the coach (who, incidentally, came for other reasons).

Les Crevettes Pailletées, Cédric Le Gallo et Maxime Govare, 2019

Part. 5/6 - Thermal Baths : from ancient Rome to contemporary Japan.

Thermae Romae, Mari Yamazaki, 2008-2013.

Mari Yamazaki's manga was published between 2008 and 2013, spanning six volumes. The story has been adapted into an anime and films. By 2012, the manga had already received excellent reviews from the Japanese public. I personally discovered it about three years later, shortly before beginning my studies in art history.

The story of this manga creates connections and parallels between ancient Roman and contemporary Japanese cultures through the rituals of bathing. The overall atmosphere is relaxed, rather humorous, and truly draws on social phenomena.

We follow the character of Lucius Modestus, a Roman architect whose career is on the decline during Hadrian's reign. While bathing in Rome, he is pulled underwater and transported to contemporary Japan, where he makes these discoveries. It is through his eyes that we explore the customs associated with Japanese bathing.

The covers of the six volumes feature black and white representations of classical antique sculptures, to which accessories from Japanese bathing rituals have been added, thus foreshadowing the incongruity and comic atmosphere.

part. 4/6 - Männerbund

Men in North Sea, Germany, Herbert List, 1938.

Between meticulously composed images and the raw beauty of nature along the Baltic Sea, Herbert List's photographs celebrate a suspended moment in time, a pause before one of the darkest periods in history.

Honestly, I struggled to categorize this photographer within one of my three themes, and now that I'm exploring this further, I realize he truly lies at the heart of all three areas of study I had planned. We find this in-depth study of the body, the Arcadian atmosphere, and these interplay of gazes that invite the viewer in and suggest the connection between the subjects (spoiler alert for the next section!). The sensual aspect is undeniable, but I've chosen to highlight the Männerbund (male brotherhood) presented by the artist.

part. 3/6 : Vitalism after Munch

Hommes se baignant, Edvard Munch, 1907, Musée d'art Ateneum, Helsinki.

This work is part of Munch's lesser-known legacy. Created nearly 15 years after The Scream and the Frieze of Life, the painting of Bathing Men stands in stark contrast to them with its use of light.

The Vitalism movement advocated a return to nature. In this work, in addition to the light, the subjects are muscular and the brushstrokes very energetic. Here, nudity is liberating and purifying. Man returns to his natural state. Some see it as a reflection of Munch's health, as he sought solace in the sun's rays during this period. The naked man in the sun has freed himself from his anxieties, but also from all forms of societal hierarchy.

part. 2/6 : Summer near Montpellier.

Scène d'été ou Les baigneurs, Frédéric Bazille, 1869, Fogg Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

I'm not afraid to say that I'm going to talk to you about my favorite painter, he actually holds a special place in my heart, especially within this theme. This painting could just as easily have been included in the first section, as the postures of the eight figures vary so much and thus demonstrate Bazille's mastery of the human form. What convinced me to include it here is that there are more interactions between the men depicted, and that this scene portrays the painter's memories. Indeed, it is a study of the body, a composition reminiscent of Poussin's Arcadian visions, all transposed to the countryside near Montpellier.

This painting was exhibited at the Salon of 1870, the year of the painter's death. Its reception was positive, the light in the work praised by art critic Zacharie Astruc; perhaps even Cézanne was inspired by it for his Bathers (vol. I, part 5).

part 1/6 : Bathing moment suspended in time.

This second part focuses on the aspects of solidarity and utopia inherent in bathing scenes.

Baignade à Asnières, Georges Seurat, 1884, National Gallery, Londres.

part. 6/6 : 1940's Fire Island Eden

Male dancer by the beach, George Platt Lynes, 1940, Chaswick Auctions.

After spending some time in Paris, where he broadened his horizons, the George Platt Lynes initially pursued a literary career, opening a bookstore in New Jersey. He returned to Paris in 1928, and it was at this point that his photography career began. He exhibited his work and opened his studio in New York around 1932, earning a living as a fashion photographer. He then sought to explore other creative avenues, notably by leaving New York for Hollywood. Around 1940, he became the chief photographer for Vogue Studios.

[Chuck Howard on boardwalk, probably Fire Island], George Platt Lynes, Georges Platt Lynes ca. 1950.

The photographs I’ve chosen for this post were taken on Fire Island around 1940. In these examples, even though Lynes also produced homoerotic photographs, we are dealing with much more SFW, where we can find poses and plays of light that highlight an attentive eye to anatomy, the body, and its beauty.

part. 5/6 : Impressionist point of view

Les Baigneurs, Paul Cézanne, 1890, Musée de l'Ermitage, Saint-Pétersbourg.

Here we see a new reinterpretation of Renaissance codes, seen as a continuation of the traditional themes of Titian and Poussin. At the same time, the treatment of the work is completely different from what could be observed in academic salons.

Poussin was a significant inspiration for Cézanne, although the treatment of his works falls within the Impressionist movement. He even had the desire to bring Impressionism into museums, remaining faithful to the movement's aesthetic while still paying homage to the Renaissance.

part. 4/6 : Between realist masterpiece & ethical breach

Before getting to the heart of the matter, let me offer a brief disclaimer. The subject of bathers will lead me to discuss the careers of some artists who have engaged in reprehensible behavior, and in my opinion, this is a part of art history that should be brought to the public's attention, just as much as the artworks themselves.

The Swimming Hole, Thomas Eakins, 1884, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas, USA.

Thomas Eakins pushed the boundaries of representing the nude body, breaking with the academic tradition of the ideal nude and aiming for a precise, anatomically accurate, and almost photographic representation. He also worked extensively with photography as a subject of study.

Eakins' students swimming naked in Dove Lake, c. 1883–84

The flip side is that his exploration of nude representations led him to adopt undesirable behaviors. One unfortunately well-known incident recounts how he had a model's loincloth removed during class without asking for consent (neither from the model nor the students). This incident cost him his teaching position at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

part. 3/6 - Caught relaxing in the Arno river

Bataille de Cascina, Aristotele da Sangallo (d'après Michelangelo), 1505, Holkham Hall, UK.

This work was intended to be a fresco by Michelangelo for the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. Michelangelo only completed the cartoon (which was fragmented and ultimately destroyed), and we know it only through the copy made by Aristotele da Sangallo.

The subject evokes a war that pitted the Florentines against the Pisans between 1362 and 1364. The episode captured here is a surprise attack by the Pisans, who caught the Florentines bathing in the Arno River. The choice of subject for the work is political, highlighting Cesare Borgia's desire to launch a new military offensive against Pisa. The Battle of Cascina, in fact, ended in a Florentine victory, despite the element of surprise.

part. 2/6 - Bathing in the 1490's

Männerbad, Albrecht Dürer, 1496-97, National Gallery, Washington DC, USA.

I'm really excited to start this new subject about bathers. through my research I came accross three aspects that are really present in each exemple I will share with you. The first one aspect is the academic one, the human body is an essential and extremely recurring subject. Obviously, bath scene are very pretexts for academy figures, and it will be the topic of this first volume.

part. 1/6 - The Strigil Ritual

Apoxyomenos, 330-320 BC, Musée Pio-Clementino , Vatican.

Caught in pre-bath ritual, the Apoxyomenos type depicts an athlete just after exertion. He passes the strigil over himself, because in Roman culture, bathing was for clean people! (as in many other cultures actually)

The interest of this scene is unique because it does not show the athlete in action, nor heroic or victorious. Here, he returns to his human state to wash himself.