Two Figures (related to the painting Tahitian Landscape) - Paul Gauguin

Gift of Emily Crane Chadbourne

European Art Modern Art Paintings Prints

"Two Figures (related to the painting Tahitian Landscape)" by Paul Gauguin (1891/93) Black chalk, with touches of watercolor and watercolor offset on cream wove paper.

Commentary

"Two Figures (related to the painting Tahitian Landscape)" by Paul Gauguin (1891/93) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. Its painted surface guides your eye through color, brushwork, and contrast rather than through narrative alone. Themes to notice include prints and drawing. 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 prints and drawing, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Black chalk, with touches of watercolor and watercolor offset on cream wove paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (35.2 × 36.9 cm (13 7/8 × 14 9/16 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include prints and drawing. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/192263

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