Change of Residence, from the Suite of Late Wood-Block Prints

Change of Residence, from the Suite of Late Wood-Block Prints by Paul Gauguin French, 1848-1903, represents a key example of the artist's profound and experimental engagement with graphic media during his final years. Executed in 1899, this piece is classified as a wood-block print utilizing black ink on cream wove paper, but its significance lies in Gauguin’s highly personalized finishing technique. He enhanced the stark black impression with hand-applied touches of red and black watercolor, transforming the multiple medium into a unique, painted surface.

Created while Gauguin was residing in the Marquesas Islands, this work showcases the raw, expressionistic approach he adopted late in life. Unlike the polished prints common in France, Gauguin deliberately emphasized the rugged texture of the wood block, allowing the material’s grain to contribute to the composition’s emotive quality. The title, Change of Residence, subtly references the artist's nomadic lifestyle and his recurring thematic concerns of travel, displacement, and spiritual transition, motifs central to his Post-Impressionist and Symbolist output.

Gauguin’s integration of printmaking and painting challenged traditional artistic boundaries, demonstrating a powerful synthesis of Polynesian and Western aesthetic influences. This complex layering of graphic structure and chromatic accent results in a dramatic visual effect, characterized by strong contrasts and deep shadow. This essential late work by the pioneering French artist is held within the distinguished collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Like many masterworks by Gauguin, various versions of his prints are available in the public domain, but this specific, hand-colored impression offers unique insight into the artist’s innovative practices in 1899.