Bathers Vs Swan

When looking at these paintings there is a a lot of similarities to be noted, first of all, both Bathers and Leda with the Swan feature nude figures bathing in the water, with trees around them. They are both very natural scenes and have a relaxed air about them. Both of the paints have a low tonal range, but Bathers is bright and lively, even though the scene shown is relaxed the brighter colours coming from the right shows that the scene might be depicted earlier in the day, whereas in Leda with the swan the temperature is low and its significantly darker than Bathers, so the scene is more subdued. In Bathers, Cézanne has used a painterly technique, applying the paint more loosely for an expressive effect so the painting looks like a painting, rather than it being fine and detailed - as if Cézanne wanted to capture the scene quickly, whereas in Correggio’s Leda with the Swan, it is very difficult to see that brush marks on the canvas, creating a very smooth finish, almost like looking at a photograph.
In Leda with the Swan, the woman at the front embracing the swan is the focal point of the picture.
We know this because she is the centre of the painting, the biggest figure in the painting compared to the other figures and because of the position of herself and the swan there appears to be more light focused on them. Bathers is different to this because theres no particular focal point, there is just the scene itself and nothing seems brighter, or bigger. It makes us think that theres more going on outside of the picture space because it is not focused on one area. The horizontal lines in the middle of Bathers also suggests this because there’s no cut off of the lines within the painting, they're continuous whereas in Leda with the Swan, the woman at the front seems to be the fixed point for the person viewing the painting, the woman is the first thing a person would notice while looking at the
picture.

Both of the artists have used oil on canvas for these paintings, and I think that shows how different artists and styles of painting can create a completely different effect. Leda with the Swan has very fine detail and is realistic with linear brushwork so it is smooth, whereas Bathers is not very defined and the literal surface of the painting is probably very rough, it looks textured and almost like a sketch.

The paintings are practically the same scene expressed in different ways by different painters and techniques, Bathers was painted quite a long time after Leda with the Swan, so maybe the sketchy lines and lack of fine detail is to do with the fact that art had changed, and it was a more modern expression of the scene. Correggio’s Leda with the Swan, with the focal point being the woman in the centre, seems to be more about the womanly figures and their beauty and natural state.