Selfportrait

Eugène Jansson’s later paintings are populated mainly by nude, muscular men in gymnasiums or, as in this picture, at public baths. His paintings are regarded as typical of what was called vitalism, a movement focusing on health and the human body, which developed in reaction to industrialism and its consequences. Scenes in the vitalist spirit were often set in summer sunshine, where the warmth makes nudity appear more natural. This subject has also been interpreted in light of the artist’s homosexuality.