Morning. Bathers. 1917 Kuzma Sergeevich Petrov-Vodkin (1878-1939)

The painting Morning. Bathers. 1917 by David Burliuk depicts a scene with several figures, predominately women and a child, in what appears to be a natural outdoor setting. The figures are rendered in a semi-realistic, almost sculptural style, with a focus on musculature and form.
In the foreground, a nude woman with a white head covering stands prominently, her gaze directed slightly away from the viewer. She is holding the hand of a young child, also unclothed. Behind them, other figures are visible. One woman wears a red skirt and a blue bodice, also with a head covering, and her arm is extended as if in a gesture or movement. Another figure to her left wears a pale pink top and a long purple skirt, her hands clasped together. A seated figure in a pink top and blue skirt is partially visible between the nude woman and the child. The background is abstract and somewhat turbulent, rendered in shades of blue and green with angular forms, suggesting foliage or water, and perhaps a stylized sky.
The subtexts of the painting are likely tied to themes of nature, the primitive, and the human form, perhaps influenced by the Symbolist and Neo-Primitive movements prominent at the time. The nude figures, especially the child and the leading woman, can evoke a sense of natural innocence and primal connection to the environment. The title Morning. Bathers. suggests a scene of ritualistic cleansing or a return to a more fundamental state, perhaps as a response to the societal upheavals of the era (being painted in 1917, during World War I and the Russian Revolution). The directness with which the figures are depicted, their solidity, and the somewhat raw rendering of their bodies could symbolize a search for essential truths or a strong, fundamental humanity amidst chaos. The abstract background may further emphasize this departure from literal representation towards emotional or symbolic expression.