Despite its playful distortions of the human form, this scene has all the wind-blown freshness of a seaside poster. It is worth recalling that swimming in the sea was uncommon, and sunbathing unheard of, until after World War I. The physical freedom and unselfconscious display of these girls was also new, and although they have not yet bobbed their hair they can be regarded as early examples of the liberated 'flapper'.

So, uncharacteristically, Picasso's canvas records a change in social fashions, although this was not necessarily his intention in painting it. He himself became a devotee of the beach. The Bathers was inspired by a visit to Biarritz, after which he spent his summers by the sea, later pioneering the popularity of now-famous resorts such as Juan les Pins and St Tropez. Sun drenched photographs of Picasso's stocky, bare-chested figure, accompanied by the muse of the moment, made him the only 20th-century artist whom millions of people could instantly recognize.