Be in Love and You will be Happy (Soyez amoureuses, vous serez heureuses) is a significant print created by Paul Gauguin between 1898 and 1899, representing the artist's later output during his residence in the South Pacific. This influential French work utilizes a sophisticated woodcut technique, printed in light brown and black inks on delicate chine collé. The use of chine collé, where a thin sheet of specialized paper is adhered to a heavier support during printing, allowed Gauguin to achieve subtle tonal shifts and heightened clarity, differentiating this print from conventional woodblock techniques of the period 1876 to 1900.
Gauguin intentionally exploited the inherent roughness of the woodcut medium, embracing its heavy contour lines and simplified forms to achieve a raw, expressive power distinct from the smooth surfaces of his major oil paintings. This piece exemplifies the artist’s Symbolist aesthetic, prioritizing emotional and philosophical resonance over strict naturalistic depiction.
The declarative title, which translates as "Be in Love and You will be Happy," suggests a central preoccupation for Gauguin in his final years: the search for a primal, emotionally and spiritually authentic existence away from European modernity. Gauguin frequently viewed his prints as deeply personal and meditative works, using them to refine motifs and figures first developed in his canvases, exploring complex narratives related to life, death, and human connection.
As a pivotal example of Post-Impressionist graphic arts, this woodcut demonstrates Gauguin’s enduring influence on the evolution of modern printmaking. The work is a crucial record of the artist’s mature style and forms an important component of the print collection at the National Gallery of Art, illustrating the innovative shifts that defined the French avant-garde at the close of the 19th century.
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