Who painted Study for "Greek Girls Bathing"?

Study for "Greek Girls Bathing" was painted by Elihu Vedder in 1872.

Where can I see Study for "Greek Girls Bathing"?

Study for "Greek Girls Bathing" is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Study for "Greek Girls Bathing"?

Study for "Greek Girls Bathing" is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Study for "Greek Girls Bathing"

Elihu Vedder , 1872

Study for "Greek Girls Bathing" is an oil drawing by the Impressionist artist Elihu Vedder. It dates from 1872 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created circa 1872, the work titled *Study for “Greek Girls Bathing*” is an oil drawing executed on prepared wove paper.

About this work

Overview

Created circa 1872, the work titled *Study for “Greek Girls Bathing*” is an oil drawing executed on prepared wove paper. It represents an early exploration by Elihu Vedder, an American artist active in the late nineteenth century, into the classical nude genre. The piece functions as a preparatory study for a larger composition that would later depict bathing figures from antiquity.

Subject & Meaning

The drawing presents a group of female figures in a bathing scene, invoking the idealized forms of ancient Greek art. By focusing on the nude body, Vedder engages with timeless themes of beauty, purity, and the mythic past, aligning the work with the symbolic and allegorical concerns that characterize much of his oeuvre.

Technique & Style

Vedder employed oil paint on a specially primed wove paper, allowing for a fluid handling of tone and subtle modeling of flesh. The medium enables a delicate balance between line and wash, producing soft transitions that suggest the play of light on skin while retaining the immediacy of a study rather than a finished painting.

History & Provenance

The study was produced during Vedder’s formative years in New York before his European travels. While the drawing remained in private hands for much of its existence, it later entered a museum collection where it is displayed alongside his more widely known illustrations, such as those for Edward FitzGerald’s *The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam*.

Context

At the time of its creation, American artists were increasingly looking to classical antiquity for subject matter, a trend reflected in Vedder’s choice of a Greek bathing scene. This work anticipates his later symbolic paintings, demonstrating an early synthesis of academic training and the emerging Symbolist movement that would shape his career.