Mahana atua (Day of the God) - Paul Gauguin

The Joseph Brooks Fair Collection

"Mahana atua (Day of the God)" by Paul Gauguin (1894/95, printed and published 1921) Wood-block print in black ink on grayish-ivory China paper.

Commentary

"Mahana atua (Day of the God)" by Paul Gauguin (1894/95, printed and published 1921) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. Themes to notice include woodcut. This piece is held in the source collectio n'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) printed by Pola Gauguin (Danish, born France, 1883-1961) published by Christian Cato, Copenhagen. The work is cataloged within a France cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as woodcut, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Wood-block print in black ink on grayish-ivory China paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image: 18.2 × 20.3 cm (7 3/16 × 8 in.); Sheet: 26.7 × 42.9 cm (10 9/16 × 16 15/16 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include woodcut. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/14314

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