The Yellow Christ (recto), Female Bather Wading through a Brook - Paul Gauguin

Bequest of Elizabeth F. Chapman

European Art Modern Art Paintings Prints

"The Yellow Christ (recto), Female Bather Wading through a Brook" by Paul Gauguin (c. 1889) Salted paper print (extremely faded) toned with watercolor, on cream wove silver printing-out paper, laid down on cream card (recto); albumen print laid down on cream card (verso).

Commentary

"The Yellow Christ (recto), Female Bather Wading through a Brook" by Paul Gauguin (c. 1889) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The photographic process puts light and timing at the center, so subtle shifts in tone carry much of the mood. Themes to notice include watercolor. 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 watercolor, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Salted paper print (extremely faded) toned with watercolor, on cream wove silver printing-out paper, laid down on cream card (recto); albumen print laid down on cream card (verso)) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (154 × 123 mm (primary support) (recto); 122 × 86 mm (primary support) (verso); 168 × 133 mm (secondary support)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include watercolor. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/113913

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