Water Portraits By Reisha Perlmutter

Over the past few years, Perlmutter has turned her attention to the relationship between the body and water. In her 2016 and 2017 series ‘Water’, Perlmutter adopts her usual painterly approach of hyper realism to depict nude figures in and around swimming pools. “The primal relationship between body and nature surfaces”Her subjects are depicted in both close-up and full body compositions, their bodies caught amongst light flares and reflections of the sun shining through the surface. The Florida-born artist presents quiet, solitary moments in the pool, her subjects appearing at peace with their surroundings and themselves. “By avoiding the inclusion of cultural signifiers and clothing, the primal relationship between body and nature surfaces,” Perlmutter explains. “Connecting with our bodies with a deeply physical awareness allows us to acknowledge all aspects of our physicality; our scars, our sickness, our health, and our beauty. These often disparate factors become unified in life force, which feeds empowerment.”