Paper

Student Artwork Guide

The bather

Name Class Date

Rockwell Kent, The bather. Reproduced for reference; rights reserved by the rights holder.

The facts

Artist
Rockwell Kent artsdot.com/en/artists/rockwell-kent/
Artist’s dates
1882 – 1971

In context

The bather — Rockwell Kent

When might this have been painted?

  1. 1880
  2. 1890
  3. 1900
  4. 1910
  5. 1920
  6. 1930
  7. 1940
  8. 1950
  9. 1960
  10. 1970

Shaded: the lifetime of Rockwell Kent (1882–1971)

This record has no exact year on file — using the artist's lifetime and the work's style, what decade would you guess?

Compare with

Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.

More works to set beside this one: artsdot.com/en/art/similar/rockwell-kent-the-bather-9HTVES-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

    Main colour

    Black #060604

    Catalogued palette

    • #060604
    • #DAC088
    • #736747
    • #282418
    Main colour name
    Black
    Intensity
    Balanced How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
    Contrast
    Statement How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
    Harmony
    Unified Palette How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
    Brightness
    Deep_shadow How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
    Saturation
    Muted How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

    Artist and museum

    Artist

    Rockwell Kent

    Born in Tarrytown, United States of America

    **early life and education**

    rockwell kent, an american painter, printmaker, illustrator, writer, sailor, and adventurer, was born on june 21, 1882, in tarrytown, new york. of english descent, kent spent his early life in and around new york city, attending the horace mann school. he studied composition and design with arthur wesley dow at the art students league in 1900 and painting with william merritt chase from 1900 to 1902.

    **artistic career and inspiration**

    kent's early paintings of mount monadnock and new hampshire, first shown at the society of american artists in new york in 1904, marked the beginning of his reputation as an early american modernist. his series of monhegan island paintings (1905-1910), exhibited at clausen galleries in new york in 1907, can be seen in museums across the country, including the metropolitan museum of art, seattle art museum, and new britain museum of american art.

    key exhibitions:

    exhibition of independent artists (1910)

    an independent exhibition of the paintings and drawings of twelve men (1911), also known as "the twelve" or "kent's tent"

    influences:**

    transcendentalism, inspired by the works of thoreau and emerson

    the austerity and stark beauty of wilderness

    notable works:**

    wilderness (1920), an adventure memoir and compilation of letters

    series of land and seascapes from forbidding locales, conveying the symbolist spirit

    **later life and legacy**

    kent's later life was marked by his incorporation as "rockwell kent, inc." in 1919, supporting his new vermont homestead. he continued to paint until his death on march 13, 1971.

    view rockwell kent's artworks:** https://AllPaintingsStore.com/@/rockwellkent

    explore more artists like rockwell kent:** /en/art/list/

    read more about rockwell kent's life and work:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/rockwell_kent

    **references:** wikipedia, AllPaintingsStore.com

    Where to read more

    Find this online

    QR code linking to the download page for The bather

    artsdot.com/en/art/download/rockwell-kent-the-bather-9HTVES-en/

    Cite this artwork

    MLA
    Kent, Rockwell. The bather. n.d., https://artsdot.com/en/art/rockwell-kent-the-bather-9HTVES-en/
    APA
    Kent, Rockwell (n.d.). The bather [Painting]. https://artsdot.com/en/art/rockwell-kent-the-bather-9HTVES-en/
    Chicago
    Rockwell Kent. The bather. n.d. https://artsdot.com/en/art/rockwell-kent-the-bather-9HTVES-en/
    Harvard
    Kent, Rockwell (n.d.) The bather. Available at: https://artsdot.com/en/art/rockwell-kent-the-bather-9HTVES-en/

    Look closely

    The bather — Rockwell Kent

    Look closely

    Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.

    1. What catches your eye first, and why?
    2. Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
    3. Look back at Late Afternoon (1962), earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.
    4. What might the artist have wanted you to feel?
    5. If you could ask the artist one question about this work, what would it be?

    Your response

    Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.