Head of a Tahitian Woman (recto), Sketches of Anatomical Details (verso) - Paul Gauguin

Bequest of Edith Cummings Munson

"Head of a Tahitian Woman (recto), Sketches of Anatomical Details (verso)" by Paul Gauguin (1891/93) Pen and brown ink (originally purple) (recto); graphite (verso); on cream wove paper, discolored to tan (removed from a sketchbook).

Commentary

"Head of a Tahitian Woman (recto), Sketches of Anatomical Details (verso)" by Paul Gauguin (1891/93) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. Themes to notice include pen and ink drawings. This pie ce is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. Paul Gauguin is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Paul Gauguin French, 1848-1903. The work is cataloged within a France cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as pen and ink drawings, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Pen and brown ink (originally purple) (recto); graphite (verso); on cream wove paper, discolored to tan (removed from a sketchbook)) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (14 × 8.8 cm (5 9/16 × 3 1/2 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include pen and ink drawings. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/113942

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data