Sydney Lee: The Bathers

The Male Bathers is a compelling and relatively rare example of figural subject matter in Sydney Lee’s early woodcut oeuvre, produced around 1904. Best known for his architectural and landscape prints, Lee’s depiction of the nude male figure in this woodcut signals his engagement with classical and humanist traditions filtered through a distinctly modern, graphic sensibility. At the same time, the print participates in the broader revival of woodcut in Britain in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, during which Lee emerged as one of its key practitioners.

The composition depicts a group of nude male figures along a shoreline—either preparing to bathe or emerging from the water. The influence of both Japanese ukiyo-e compositions and the Arts and Crafts emphasis on design and craftsmanship is evident in the flattened spatial treatment and rhythmic arrangement of figures. Though figural subjects are uncommon in Lee’s body of work, The Male Bathers demonstrates his versatility as an artist and the experimental breadth of his early printmaking practice.

Lee printed all his work by himself in his own studio. Impressions were either printed on demand or in small runs of between 6 and 12 to build up a small stock for exhibition and sale.