Paul Gauguin

PAUL GAUGUIN (Paris, 1848 - I.Marquesas, 1903).
"Le Sourire", ca.1899.
Woodcut on paper.
Printed by his son Pola Gauguin in Copenhagen, 1921.
With handwritten inscriptions by the printer.
Measurements: 10 × 18 cm (plate); 39 × 55 cm (frame).

Woodcut belonging to the set of prints made by Gauguin in his last years, where he develops a graphic language of great formal freedom and strong symbolic load. The composition, resolved by means of a marked contrast between black and white, presents schematized and deformed figures that refer both to the Tahitian imaginary and to a deeply personal vision.

The use of incisive contours and the simplification of space are evidence of his desire to move away from the naturalist tradition in favor of a more direct and essential expression. The woodcut technique reinforces this synthetic character, placing the work in the context of the research that would influence the avant-garde movements of the 20th century. The print made in 1921 by Pola Gauguin is one of the editions that contributed to the dissemination of his graphic work after his death.

Paul Gauguin is a fundamental figure of post-impressionism and one of the main renovators of modern artistic language. His work is preserved in the collections of major international museums, including the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, the National Gallery in London, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.