Oviri - Paul Gauguin

Clarence Buckingham Collection

"Oviri" by Paul Gauguin (1894) Wood-block print, printed twice in deep yellow ocher and black ink (recto); wood-block print in black ink over stenciled yellow ink and a red ink tone block (verso); on cream wove paper (an imitation Japanese vellum).

Commentary

"Oviri" by Paul Gauguin (1894) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. Themes to notice include woodcut. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. Paul Gaugu in 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 woodcut, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Wood-block print, printed twice in deep yellow ocher and black ink (recto); wood-block print in black ink over stenciled yellow ink and a red ink tone block (verso); on cream wove paper (an imitation Japanese vellum)) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image/sheet: 20.8 × 12.3 cm (8 1/4 × 4 7/8 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/63090

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