The Lady Swimmer

Water ripples calmly around a figure partly submerged in water, performing the breaststroke. In “The Lady Swimmer” (1878), Émile Reynaud continued his experiments with colour layering to fascinate the viewer with the beauty of animation. The resulting image offers a serene passage into a sense of infinity. The sportswoman moves away from the spectator with each movement, ever progressing and in constant resistance to stasis. The new medium allowed moving images to transport viewers into an illusory infinity, creating visual sensations that enrich the appreciation of reality through art. With this work, the animator painted the dawn of a new form of entertainment.