The Bath, Jávea

The coast of Jávea, Spain, is surrounded by rugged rocks. The distant horizon is obscured by these rocks, creating the impression of a secret natural pool reserved exclusively for the family.

The nude girl innocently turning her back on the sandy beach in the foreground is the painter's youngest daughter, Elena, aged ten. A little further away, in the dim blue waterscape, stand his wife Clotilde and eldest daughter María.

This work, capturing shimmering water and soft skin, is one of his representative series featuring nude children. When exhibited at the Hispanic Society of America in New York in 1909, its masterful use of color and vivid depiction of water were highly praised by The New York Times, and it has been part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection since that same year.

Instead of depicting the vast, endless sea, the artist deliberately frames the view with rocks, creating an enclosed, intimate space. Within it, along with the beautiful light of the Mediterranean, are eternally captured the deep affection and warm gaze of a father watching his beloved wife and daughters relaxing by the water.