A Grazing Cow; Head of a Woman with Her Hand on Her Cheek, and Head of a Man with His Hand on His Ear [verso]

A Grazing Cow; Head of a Woman with Her Hand on Her Cheek, and Head of a Man with His Hand on His Ear [verso] is a significant double-sided drawing by Paul Gauguin, executed between 1884 and 1888. Classified as a vital preparatory study, this work demonstrates Gauguin’s skillful use of varied media, combining precise strokes of pen and brown ink with soft applications of graphite on wove paper. This period places the drawing squarely within the late nineteenth-century French artistic movements, specifically the prolific 1876 to 1900 range, just prior to the artist's full commitment to Symbolism and his extended travels to the South Pacific.

The recto of the sheet features the naturalistic study of a grazing cow, a commonplace subject Gauguin often captured in rapid succession, either as preparatory work for larger genre paintings or as an exercise in capturing form. The use of ink allows for detailed contour definition, while graphite provides depth and textural variation, highlighting the immediacy of the artist's observation of rural life.

The economical nature of the artist's practice is clearly evidenced by the use of the verso. The reverse side presents two distinct figurative studies that appear unrelated to the cow: the head of a woman resting her hand contemplatively on her cheek, and the profile of a man with his hand raised to his ear. These focused portraits suggest preliminary sketches for figures intended for narrative or allegorical works, where specific gestures and emotional expressions would be critical. Both sides collectively reveal Gauguin's active mind and diverse visual interests during a transitional phase in his career.

This important drawing, serving as a material record of Gauguin’s preparatory draftsmanship and technical versatility, is housed in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. As with many older works by this French master, the drawing often features prominently in scholarly materials. Additionally, high-quality prints of historical drawings determined to be in the public domain help extend the accessibility of Gauguin’s foundational work to a wider audience.