Pool ladies resting in their cozzies - small format on aluminium, gloss finish, by Michael Joseph

Swimmer Study (Pool Ladies Resting in Cozzies)
Photo taken in the 1980s
by Michael Joseph

Size: 15 cm (w) × 20 cm (h)
Medium: Aluminium print
Format: Small Format Print on Aluminium
Edition: Later print

A charged interplay of reflection and repetition, Mirror Study (Swimmers in Pink and Blue) captures a group of swimmers poised along the pool’s edge, their forms multiplied within mirrored panels. Bodies fold and extend in rhythmic sequence, while saturated magentas and electric blues transform the tiled setting into a theatrical stage.

The composition is deliberately disorienting. Limbs intersect across reflections, goggles catch the light, and white swim caps punctuate the frame like graphic accents. The mirror doubles the action, creating a choreography of angles — foreground and background collapsing into a single, vivid plane.

Rather than documenting sport in motion, this image lingers on the sculptural quality of the body at rest. The swimmers’ gestures — adjusting goggles, leaning back, extending a leg — become stylised poses within a carefully controlled colour field. The result is both playful and strikingly modern.

Created during the 1970s, when bold colour and constructed environments defined much commercial and editorial photography, this work reflects Michael Joseph’s instinct for visual drama and compositional precision. It captures not only a moment beside the pool, but an era’s fascination with glamour, geometry, and performance.

Printed on aluminium, the intense pinks, deep blues, and sharp contrasts gain heightened clarity and luminosity. The sleek surface enhances the image’s graphic power while preserving its period character.

A vibrant and visually dynamic small-format work, available exclusively through this gallery.

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