Three People, a Mask, a Fox and a Bird, headpiece forLe sourire - Paul Gauguin

The Joseph Brooks Fair Collection

"Three People, a Mask, a Fox and a Bird, headpiece forLe sourire" by Paul Gauguin (1899, printed and published 1921) Wood-block print in black ink on ivory China paper.

Commentary

"Three People, a Mask, a Fox and a Bird, headpiece forLe sourire" by Paul Gauguin (1899, printed and published 1921) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. Themes to notice include woodcut. This piece is h eld 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) 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 ivory China paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image: 10.3 × 18.4 cm (4 1/16 × 7 1/4 in.); Sheet: 26.8 × 42.5 cm (10 9/16 × 16 3/4 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/20434

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