Artwork
Bacchantes
Bacchantes is an ink print by Arthur Bowen Davies. It dates from 1920 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Arthur B.
About this work
Overview
Arthur B. Davies’ 1920 lithograph titled *Bacchantes* presents a monochrome scene of three nude female figures in a forested setting, accompanied by a reclining leopard or panther. Rendered entirely in black ink, the composition emphasizes line and movement, capturing a moment of mythic revelry.
Subject & Meaning
The three women are identified as bacchantes—followers of the Roman god Bacchus—engaged in dance and music. One holds a tambourine, another a flute, and the third a panpipe, all gestures that evoke the ecstatic rites associated with wine, fertility, and unrestrained celebration in classical mythology.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithographic print, the work relies on bold, expressive lines and stark contrasts between black and white. Davies employs a simplified, almost sculptural treatment of the figures, recalling the linear clarity of ancient Greek art while allowing the ink’s fluidity to suggest motion and rhythm.
History & Provenance
Created during the post‑World War I period, *Bacchantes* reflects Davies’ involvement with the American avant‑garde. The print entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, where it remains part of the museum’s holdings of early 20th‑century American prints.
Context
Davies was a central promoter of modern art in the United States from roughly 1910 to 1928, bridging traditional academic training and emerging modernist tendencies. *Bacchantes* illustrates his interest in mythological subjects rendered with a contemporary, graphic sensibility, situating the work within the broader shift toward abstraction and simplification in early twentieth‑century American art.
Artist & collection
Artist
Arthur Bowen Davies (September 26, 1862 – October 24, 1928) was an avant-garde American artist and influential advocate of modern art in the United States c. 1910–1928.
