Crouching Monkey and Man's Head; Bones and Muscles [verso]

The drawing Crouching Monkey and Man's Head; Bones and Muscles [verso] by Paul Gauguin, created between 1884 and 1888, is an intricate double-sided study executed in graphite on wove paper. This work is classified as a significant French drawing from the pivotal late nineteenth-century period, spanning 1876 to 1900. The recto side of the sheet, featuring the crouching monkey juxtaposed with a fragment of a human head, suggests Gauguin's early intellectual engagement with symbolic representation and the study of form. The inclusion of figures in such close proximity hints at themes of comparison or contrast, which would become more explicitly developed in the artist’s later symbolist compositions.

The contrasting image on the verso, entitled "Bones and Muscles," serves as a rigorous anatomical study. This dedication to underlying physical structure and mastering draftsmanship reveals Gauguin’s commitment to technical foundation, even as he was preparing to reject many traditional academic artistic conventions. The presence of these preparatory studies highlights the technical process of an artist transitioning between Impressionism and the nascent Post-Impressionist movement.

This historically important double-sided sheet resides in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art. As a key figure of the French avant-garde, Gauguin’s explorations of figure drawing during this transitional phase are crucial for understanding his subsequent stylistic evolution. Due to its age and cultural relevance, high-quality documentation of this drawing is frequently available within the public domain, allowing institutions and researchers to create fine art prints and study materials based on the original. This work offers vital insight into Gauguin’s working methods during the defining years leading up to 1900.