The Woman with Figs - Paul Gauguin

Gift of the Print and Drawing Club

"The Woman with Figs" by Paul Gauguin (1894, printed 1899) Etching with open bite applied with a reed pen on a zinc plate, in dark green ink with selective wiping, on cream wove Japanese paper (a proofing paper).

Commentary

"The Woman with Figs" by Paul Gauguin (1894, printed 1899) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The print-based method rewards close viewing, where line, texture, and contrast do most of the expressive work. Themes to notice include etching. This piece 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 etching, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Etching with open bite applied with a reed pen on a zinc plate, in dark green ink with selective wiping, on cream wove Japanese paper (a proofing paper)) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image/plate: 26.9 × 44.5 cm (10 5/8 × 17 9/16 in.); Sheet: 45.4 × 60.8 cm (17 7/8 × 23 15/16 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include etching. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/75457

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