Eve, from the Suite of Late Wood-Block Prints

Eve, from the Suite of Late Wood-Block Prints is a pivotal graphic work created by Paul Gauguin French, 1848-1903 between 1898 and 1899. This powerful image is a wood-block print, utilizing black ink applied to thin ivory Japanese paper, which was later mounted on a heavier ivory wove paper that has discolored slightly to cream. Gauguin's late printmaking, executed during his final years in the South Pacific, represents a profound shift away from the refined techniques of academic French engraving towards a raw, deliberate primitivism.

Gauguin's commitment to the woodcut medium in the late 1890s aligns with his Symbolist objectives, prioritizing suggestive power and emotional impact over descriptive realism. The subject of Eve, a central figure in his exploration of mythological and indigenous narratives, is rendered using broad, simplified forms and stark contrasts. Though working internationally, the artistic context remains rooted in the Post-Impressionist traditions of France. Unlike earlier European prints, Gauguin intentionally allowed the imperfections of the wood matrix to show, lending the resulting impressions a distinctly rough, brooding quality. His manipulation of the block texture emphasizes the tension between light and shadow, defining the contours of the figure against a heavily worked background.

This suite of late prints underscores Gauguin’s lasting influence on modern graphic art. His radical approach to the medium solidified his reputation not only as a painter but also as a master printmaker. This significant impression of Eve, from the Suite of Late Wood-Block Prints is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, illustrating the culmination of Gauguin's final, influential period of artistic production.