Paper

Student Artwork Guide

The Mud Bath

David Bomberg, 1914

Name Class Date
David Bomberg, The Mud Bath (1914). Reproduced for reference; rights reserved by the rights holder. See this canvas under a moving light: the drawing, the true colour under the varnish, the bare pigment

The facts

Artist
David Bomberg originaluniqueart.com/en/artists/david-bomberg/
Artist’s dates
1890 – 1957
Painted
1914
Original size
152 x 224 cm

Copyright This work is still under copyright. David Bomberg died in 1957; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it remains in force until 2027. The image is shown here for classroom reference; rights remain with the rights holder.

Source: OriginalUniqueArt.com — accessed Sept. 16, 2026

The Mud Bath — David Bomberg Part 1 · The artwork

In context

The Mud Bath — David Bomberg

How big is it?

The original measures 152 × 224 cm (height × width), drawn here beside an adult of average height.

When was this painted?

  1. 1890
  2. 1900
  3. 1910
  4. 1920
  5. 1930
  6. 1940
  7. 1950

Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 67 at death.

Painted when the artist was 24. The artist lived to 67. 8 of the 100 dated works by this artist in our catalogue came earlier.

Shaded: the lifetime of David Bomberg (1890–1957) ▲ this work, 1914 every dated painting, decade by decade

First works: up to 1920 Main working years: 1920–1942 Late works: from 1942

Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell. The same years with the artist’s life laid along them

Compare with

Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.

More works to set beside this one: originaluniqueart.com/en/art/similar/david-bomberg-the-mud-bath-AQSFT6-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

    Main colour

    Midnight Blue #34476b

    Catalogued palette

    • #34476B
    • #E0D9B4
    • #342A26
    • #C3532A

    These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour

    Palette
    Earthy The dominant colour family in the image.
    Main colour name
    Midnight Blue
    Intensity
    Vivid How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
    Contrast
    Statement How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
    Harmony
    Softly Mixed Palette How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
    Brightness
    Brilliant How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
    Saturation
    Clear Color Presence How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

    Where in the world is this painting looked at?

    • under 1%
    • 1–3%
    • 3–8%
    • 8–20%
    • 20% and over
    This painting alone has too few recorded visitors to map, so the plate reads every work by David Bomberg over the last twelve months — 5 countries in all. Where these figures come from

    The ten leading countries

    1. 1 China 89.1%
    2. 2 United States of America 4.3%
    3. 3 Bulgaria 2.2%
    4. 4 Spain 2.2%
    5. 5 Paraguay 2.2%

    Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.

    The 20 most looked-at works by David Bomberg

    1. 1 Mount Saint Hilarion and the Castle Ruins, 1948 6.2%
    2. 2 Alora, Andalucia, 1935 6.2%
    3. 3 Composition, 1919 6.2%
    4. 4 Sappers at Work : Canadian Tunnelling Company, R14, St Eloi, 1919 4.2%
    5. 5 Ronda, Spain, 1957 4.2%
    6. 6 Double Self Portrait (recto), 1937 4.2%
    7. 7 The St John Ophthalmic Hospital, Jerusalem, 1927 4.2%
    8. 8 Canal Bank, France, 1920 4.2%
    9. 9 Kitty, the Artist's Sister, 1929 4.2%
    10. 10 Study for Ghetto Theatre I, 1921 4.2%
    11. 11 David Bomberg, 1937 4.2%
    12. 12 Ju Jitsu, 1913 2.1%
    13. 13 The Broken Aqueduct, Wadi Kelt near Jericho, 1926 2.1%
    14. 14 Bideford, Devon, 1946 2.1%
    15. 15 Trendrine, Cornwall, 1947 2.1%
    16. 16 Interior of the Armenian Church, Jerusalem, 1925 2.1%
    17. 17 The Gorge, Ronda, Spain, 1935 2.1%
    18. 18 The Family (Study for Ghetto Theatre II), 1919 2.1%
    19. 19 The Mud Bath, 1914 this painting 2.1%
    20. 20 Composition with Figures, 1913 2.1%

    Together these works take 71.1% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 109 works by this artist, of which 34 were looked at at least once. This painting ranks 19 of them, with 2.1% of that attention. The same counts, month by month

    Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.

    Source: OriginalUniqueArt.com — accessed Sept. 16, 2026

    The Mud Bath — David Bomberg Part 2 · In context

    Artist and museum

    Artist

    David Bomberg

    Born in Birmingham, United Kingdom

    Early Life and Artistic Training

    Born: Birmingham, United Kingdom (December 5, 1890)

    Died: London, United Kingdom (August 19, 1957)

    One of the 'Whitechapel Boys' – a group of East End artists who emerged in the early 20th century.

    Born to Polish-Jewish immigrant parents, Abraham and Rebecca Bomberg, initially studied at the City and Guilds Technical Art School before training as a lithographer in Birmingham.

    Studied under Walter Sickert at Westminster School of Art (1908-1910), influenced by Sickert's focus on form and urban life. Significant exposure to Paul Cézanne through the 1910 Roger Fry exhibition "Manet and the Post-Impressionists." Attended the Slade School of Art (1911), winning the Tonks Prize for his drawing of fellow student Isaac Rosenberg.

    The Avant-Garde Years: Cubism, Futurism, and Controversy

    At the Slade, Bomberg was part of a remarkable generation including Mark Gertler, Stanley Spencer, C.R.W. Nevinson, and Dora Carrington.

    Influenced by the 1912 London exhibitions of Italian Futurists and Fry's second Post-Impressionist exhibition (Picasso, Matisse, Fauvists, Wyndham Lewis).

    Developed a distinctive style combining Cubism and Futurism – characterized by geometric compositions, limited color palettes, angular figures, and grid-like structures.

    His radical approach led to expulsion from the Slade School of Art in 1913, deemed too audacious for the institution's conventional methods.

    Briefly associated with Bloomsbury Group’s Omega Workshops and exhibited with the Camden Town Group. Showed affinity with Wyndham Lewis’s Vorticist movement but remained independent, refusing full involvement.

    From War to Landscape: A Shift in Style

    Experiences as a private soldier during World War I profoundly impacted his artistic vision, leading to a move away from abstraction.

    The 1920s saw Bomberg adopt a more figurative style, focusing on portraits and landscapes drawn directly from nature. Developed an increasingly expressionist technique, marked by textured impasto and emotional intensity.

    Extensive travels through the Middle East (particularly Palestine) and Europe significantly influenced his later work. His depictions of Jerusalem are particularly notable.

    Later Years and Legacy

    From 1945 to 1953, taught at Borough Polytechnic (now London South Bank University), influencing a generation of artists including Frank Auerbach, Leon Kossoff, Philip Holmes, Cliff Holden, Edna Mann, Dorothy Mead, Gustav Metzger, Dennis Creffield, Cecil Bailey and Miles Richmond.

    Married landscape painter Lilian Holt.

    Despite periods of relative obscurity during his lifetime, Bomberg's work has gained increasing recognition in recent decades as a significant contribution to British modern art.

    David Bomberg House at London South Bank University is named in his honor.

    His legacy lies in his unique synthesis of European avant-garde movements and his later development of a powerful, expressive landscape style that captured the essence of place and human experience.

    Where to read more

    • The artist David Bomberg originaluniqueart.com/en/artists/david-bomberg/
    • Similar works More works to compare originaluniqueart.com/en/art/similar/david-bomberg-the-mud-bath-AQSFT6-en/

    Find this online

    QR code linking to the download page for The Mud Bath

    originaluniqueart.com/en/art/download/david-bomberg-the-mud-bath-AQSFT6-en/

    Cite this artwork

    MLA
    Bomberg, David. The Mud Bath. 1914, https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/david-bomberg-the-mud-bath-AQSFT6-en/
    APA
    Bomberg, David (1914). The Mud Bath [Painting]. https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/david-bomberg-the-mud-bath-AQSFT6-en/
    Chicago
    David Bomberg. The Mud Bath. 1914. https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/david-bomberg-the-mud-bath-AQSFT6-en/
    Harvard
    Bomberg, David (1914) The Mud Bath. Available at: https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/david-bomberg-the-mud-bath-AQSFT6-en/

    Source: OriginalUniqueArt.com — accessed Sept. 16, 2026

    The Mud Bath — David Bomberg Part 3 · Artist and museum

    Look closely

    The Mud Bath — David Bomberg

    Look closely

    Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.

    1. What catches your eye first, and why?
    2. Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
    3. Look back at Composition with Figures (1913), earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.
    4. David Bomberg was about 24 when this was made. What in it looks like the work of an artist at that stage?
    5. What might the artist have wanted you to feel?

    Your response

    Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.

    Source: OriginalUniqueArt.com — accessed Sept. 16, 2026

    The Mud Bath — David Bomberg Part 4 · Look closely

    Questions & Answers

    Can I use augmented reality to see "The Mud Bath" by David Bomberg in my room?

    The AR Preview page of "The Mud Bath" by David Bomberg uses augmented reality to show the artwork in your own space, on a compatible device.

    What colors dominate "The Mud Bath" by David Bomberg?

    "The Mud Bath" is defined by an earthy palette led by midnight blue (#34476b).

    Is "The Mud Bath" by David Bomberg a portrait, landscape or square composition?

    "The Mud Bath" by David Bomberg has a landscape format. The format describes the proportions of the composition.