Fine art photography: a swimming pool through the lens of Maria Svarbova

Fine art photography is photography that reflects the creative vision of the photographer as an artist.

Fine art photography is photography that reflects the creative vision of the photographer as an artist. It is precisely this definition that applies to the work of Maria Svarbova and her series of swimming pool photographs entitled Swimming Trinity(Swimming Trinity).

The dominant colour in the photographs — a pale blue — fills almost every inch of the frame

Maria shot this series in the town of Malacky, not far from Bratislava. Her work is defined by a minimalism of tone and an absence of contrast. The dominant colour in the photographs — a pale blue — fills almost every inch of the frame: the wall tiles, the water itself. Against this near-monochrome backdrop, motionless models in vivid swimsuits stand out as stark contrasting presences. They appear utterly static, even when their poses suggest movement.

A girl in a red swimsuit and cap stands at a chalkboard bearing a training drill, photographed by Maria Svarbova

Three swimmers in red swimsuits stand on a starting block with arms raised against a turquoise pool wall

Carefully composed arrangements, expressionless faces and contrived body positions seem to reduce the people in these photographs from protagonists to elements within a broader concept. The absence of any emotion or dynamism, combined with the vast, near-empty space, extends the logic of the swimming pool itself: a pursuit of cleanliness, even of chlorinated sterility.

But this pool series is not the first among Maria Svarbová's works: in 2016 she shot three more, and before that, the very first one, in 2014. Since we began with the photographer's most recent work, we will look at the rest in reverse order. All these photographs share the same artistic approach, yet each series has its own distinct subject.

For instance, the series No Diving features several slides:

Two girls in swimsuits climbing a blue spiral slide at an outdoor pool

Two female swimmers in swimsuits walking one behind the other along the edge of a pool by large windows

In the series Swimm the main subjects of the photographs are the lane lines, and striped swimsuits make their appearance. Blue begins to prevail over light blue.

A female swimmer in a red swimsuit crouching to dive on the pool edge beside a pink tiled wall

A girl in a red swimsuit standing on a starting block beneath tall windows, reflected in the water

In the series Swimming pool the people no longer seem quite so much like mannequins. Feeling and life show through in their poses.

A female swimmer standing chest-deep in water, holding a red ball above her head beside a white tiled wall

Two swimmers leaning forward, preparing to dive from the edge of a bright pool with plants

And finally, the last series of photographs, which was shot back in 2014,In swimming pool. The photographs here are darker, and there is no longer a strong contrast between the background and the figures: the dark tones of the swimsuits do not stand out sharply against the water and walls as they did in the 2016 works.