"Bathers" (Les baigneuses) is a work in which a scene between abstraction and
surrealism is played out. The scene shows two naked female figures enjoying a swim in a
lush natural setting. Waterfalls can be seen in blue and white. The characters are
peaceful and in harmony with the surrounding nature. One of the figures in the upper
right has golden hair (a reference to Gustave Klimt, dear to Anton Laborde), while the
figure in the lower left is in a prayerful position.
The absence of perspective and the abundance of vegetation borrow from the naive
style (Henri Rousseau), while certain attributes of the characters appearing in it seem
surreal. One wonders if the characters are divine, mythological or magical creatures...
nymphs?
The characters could refer to the epigies, - earth nymphs in Greek Mythology - mainly
the dryads who are linked to trees...
In Greek and Roman mythology, the dryads would have had the function of protecting
the forests and preventing the destruction of trees. Through this work, the artist renews
his love for nature and his conviction that nature can be a refuge from suffering.