Heads of a Boy and a Man (Self-Portrait?) [verso]

Heads of a Boy and a Man (Self-Portrait?) [verso] by Paul Gauguin is an expressive and intimate drawing executed between 1884 and 1888, utilizing pen and brown ink on wove paper. This work offers a powerful insight into the artist’s mastery of line, created during a crucial transitional period in his career. Gauguin utilized the precise quality of the pen to define contour lines and employ controlled cross-hatching to render volume, focusing intensely on the facial structure and the potential psychological states of the two subjects. The designation of this drawing as ‘verso’ (the reverse side of a sheet holding another work) suggests it served as a spontaneous study or preparatory sketch, providing a direct, unedited view of the artist’s draftsmanship.

This piece exemplifies French artistic production in the late 19th century, firmly located within the Post-Impressionist period spanning 1876 to 1900. During these years, Gauguin transitioned from exhibiting alongside the Impressionists toward developing the Synthetist style, prioritizing symbolic content and emotional expression over purely optical reality. The contrast between the features of the mature man and the youth offers a rich field for interpretation, especially given the parenthetical suggestion of a self-portrait.

The drawing is cataloged within the comprehensive collection of the National Gallery of Art. It represents the depth of Gauguin’s formal investigations before his more radical stylistic shifts in the 1890s. While many of Gauguin’s major oil works are widely studied, drawings such as this illuminate his continuous process of observation. Due to its cultural and historical significance as a work from the French art movement of the late nineteenth century, the image is often made available in the public domain, allowing curators and researchers access to high-resolution prints for continued scholarship and appreciation.