Paul Cézanne created a series of bathers' paintings at the end of his career. The Large Bathers is so called because it was Cézanne's largest composition in the series, and it was the last to be produced.
When creating The Large Bathers Cézanne was attempting to produce a piece that would be timeless. The artist did not follow fashionable painting trends and felt no pressure to conform to nineteenth century methods.
The story that some critics have told describes the women in The Large Bathers as goddesses in the middle of nature. The trees are acting as their theater and the figures in the background are watching their actions. There is a distinct triangle shape that forces the viewer to focus on the lake and the small figures in the background. Despite the movement in the picture there is a sense of calm among the bathers. The viewer appears to take a voyeuristic peek into their private world.
Cézanne's scene, with its tranquil lake and church tower is not an exact representation of a real village. Cézanne created this image using his imagination and drawing from nature. The artist enjoyed painting landscapes and was inspired by nature but he wanted to understand it and paint more than what was on the surface.
Paul Cézanne prepared a number of practice paintings of figures before he started working on The Large Bathers. He experimented with how he wanted the figures to relate to each other and preparatory pieces show the bathers interacting with each other in various different ways.
Despite it's unpolished state The Large Bathers is considered a masterpiece of modern art and has appeared on television shows as one of the greatest compositions of all time.