Auti Te Pape

Auti Te Pape (The Women at the River) is a remarkable woodcut printed in color on wove paper, created by Paul Gauguin between 1893 and 1894. This print series marks a crucial period in Gauguin’s artistic production, documenting his intense exploration of Polynesian culture following his first major trip to Tahiti. Unlike his earlier, smoother canvases, the inherent resistance and physicality of the woodcut medium allowed the artist to experiment with raw textures and a powerfully primitive visual language, heavily influencing the development of modern prints.

The composition depicts stylized Tahitian female nudes situated near a river, integrating the subject matter of natural purity and the harmonious relationship between the figure and the tropical environment. Gauguin used this setting to explore themes of original innocence, often positioning the figures with symbolic gestures or ambiguous narratives. The artist employed a reductive and highly expressive carving technique, deliberately leaving visible tool marks and irregularities in the woodblock. This process enhances the expressive power of the image and utilizes the natural grain of the wood, resulting in a composition that consciously pushes against traditional academic standards.

This particular edition of Auti Te Pape is held in the renowned collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it serves as a key example of Post-Impressionist printmaking. Gauguin’s utilization of color in this demanding medium is highly nuanced, often requiring multiple blocks or careful hand-inking to achieve the layered effects seen in the final image. As a significant historical print, the work is frequently studied for its technical contribution to the revival of the woodcut in the late 19th century. Given its age and artistic importance, this masterpiece has entered the public domain, allowing high-quality reproductions and fine prints to continue the study of Gauguin's groundbreaking Tahitian prints.