Te atua (The God), from the Suite of Late Wood-Block Prints - Paul Gauguin

Gift of the Print and Drawing Club

"Te atua (The God), from the Suite of Late Wood-Block Prints" by Paul Gauguin (1898/99) Second-state impression laid down on first-state impression Wood-block print of second state in black ink on lunette-shaped, thin ivory Japanese paper, laid down on wood-block print of first state in brownish-black ink on lunette-shaped ivory wove paper.

Commentary

"Te atua (The God), from the Suite of Late Wood-Block Prints" by Paul Gauguin (1898/99) 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 a nd 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 woodcut, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Second-state impression laid down on first-state impression Wood-block print of second state in black ink on lunette-shaped, thin ivory Japanese paper, laid down on wood-block print of first state in brownish-black ink on lunette-shaped ivory wove paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image/primary/secondary support: 23.1 × 20.2 cm (9 1/8 × 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/44782

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