Fox, Busts of Two Women, and a Rabbit, headpiece for Le sourire

Fox, Busts of Two Women, and a Rabbit, headpiece for Le sourire by Paul Gauguin French, 1848-1903, is a compelling late-career print executed between 1899 and 1900. Created while the artist was living in the South Pacific, this work was intended as an ornamental headpiece for Le sourire (The Smile), the satirical journal Gauguin self-published to circulate his artistic and anti-colonial ideas.

Gauguin utilized the challenging wood-block print technique, employing black ink applied to thin ivory Japanese paper, which was subsequently laid down on a secondary sheet of ivory Japanese paper for crucial structural support. This careful layering and choice of high-quality paper underscore the artist’s profound interest in the materiality of prints during this period, embracing the raw, primitive aesthetic afforded by the woodcut medium. The composition features a compressed array of highly symbolic figures: a fox occupies the central space, flanked by the stylized busts of two women. Below the women, a small rabbit adds a further layer of enigmatic meaning.

This juxtaposition of animals and figures reflects Gauguin’s characteristic blending of European academic tradition with Oceanic motifs and personal mythology, a style central to Post-Impressionism. Though executed far from continental France, the work maintains a critical dialogue with Parisian artistic trends while demonstrating the artist's inventive approach to graphic arts. As a critical example of late 19th-century graphic work, this highly detailed wood-block print remains a significant contribution to Gauguin’s oeuvre. This important piece is classified as a Print and resides in the distinguished collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.