A Horse and Birds, headpiece for Le sourire

A Horse and Birds, headpiece for Le sourire is a highly significant wood-block print created by Paul Gauguin French, 1848-1903, in 1899. This medium was central to Gauguin’s later output, allowing him to explore stark, simplified forms suitable for black ink application. The work is printed on thin ivory laid Japanese paper, a choice that enhances the textural qualities of the wood-block technique and provides a delicate contrast to the heavily inked surface.

As a print, the image functions as a symbolic vignette, designed to serve as the headpiece for Le sourire (The Smile), the brief satirical journal that Gauguin self-published while living in Tahiti between 1899 and 1900. The composition depicts a simplified profile of a horse juxtaposed with stylized flying birds above. This design reflects Gauguin’s ongoing fascination with synthesizing mythological subjects and Polynesian imagery, themes that were highly influential on avant-garde movements in France at the close of the nineteenth century.

Gauguin's experimental approach to the printmaking process established him as a major figure in the resurgence of graphic arts at the turn of the century. This striking impression of A Horse and Birds, headpiece for Le sourire resides in the esteemed collection of prints and drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago. Because the piece was completed in 1899, this pivotal work by the French artist is frequently shared through public domain initiatives, ensuring that high-quality reproductions and scholarly information remain widely accessible.