A Breton Woman Walking; Sketch with Stairs [verso]

A Breton Woman Walking; Sketch with Stairs [verso] by Paul Gauguin is a significant drawing created between 1884 and 1888. Executed in crayon on wove paper, this preliminary study captures Gauguin’s deep engagement with the traditional culture and inhabitants of rural Brittany, a key location for the French artist before his famous voyages to the Pacific. This period, roughly spanning 1876 to 1900, was essential for the artist’s dramatic shift from conventional Impressionism toward the Synthetist and Symbolist movements he would help define.

The rendering of the Breton woman in profile, likely captured in traditional costume, exemplifies Gauguin’s search for purity and authentic expression. This focus on regional identity provided him with themes of unspoiled antiquity, which stood in deliberate contrast to the rapidly modernizing urban environments of the late 19th century. The choice of crayon facilitates rapid, expressive draftsmanship, allowing Gauguin to concentrate on defining contour and mass rather than purely optical effects, a technique that foretold his later use of cloisonné inspired outlines.

The dual nature of the sheet, featuring the less resolved Sketch with Stairs on the verso, emphasizes the immediate, exploratory, and practical function of this classified drawing within Gauguin’s evolving working process. Such spontaneous studies were instrumental in building the compositions for his more finished paintings from the Pont-Aven school.

This piece offers direct insight into the methods of a key figure of Post-Impressionism. As a vital component of the French artistic legacy of the era, the drawing is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, providing crucial documentation of this transformative artistic period. While the original drawing is a unique museum object, high-quality prints derived from works of this time are often made available through public domain initiatives, ensuring broad access to the seminal studies of Gauguin.