Les drames de la mer: Bretagne (Dramas of the Sea: Brittany), from the Volpini Suite

Les drames de la mer: Bretagne (Dramas of the Sea: Brittany), from the Volpini Suite, is a significant print created by Paul Gauguin French, 1848-1903 in 1889. This striking impression is executed as a zincograph in black on characteristic chrome yellow wove paper. Zincography, a demanding technique closely related to lithography, allowed Gauguin to experiment with bold contrasts and simplified graphic forms as he moved deeper into Post-Impressionism and Symbolism. The print belongs to a set of eleven experimental works collectively known as the Volpini Suite, which Gauguin produced specifically for the Café Volpini exhibition held in Paris during the 1889 Exposition Universelle.

Created during a pivotal period in the artist’s development, this work reflects Gauguin’s persistent fascination with the rugged, spiritual culture and austere landscape of Brittany, France. By the late 1880s, Gauguin had fundamentally rejected the naturalistic observation of Impressionism in favor of Synthetism, an approach that prioritized internal emotional expression over external reality. Les drames de la mer: Bretagne exemplifies this stylistic shift, utilizing heavy outlines, generalized figures, and stark contrasts to convey a psychological rather than descriptive reality. The deliberately rough execution inherent in the print medium enhances the dramatic, primal subject matter suggested by the title, which often refers to the harshness and spiritual depth of life in remote coastal regions.

As one of the rarest and most celebrated groups of prints produced in late nineteenth-century France, the Volpini Suite showcases Gauguin’s versatility and his pioneering efforts in the graphic arts. Although the artist is best known for his later paintings, these early prints were vital to the development of modern graphic techniques and Symbolist aesthetics. The inclusion of this impression of Les drames de la mer: Bretagne in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago provides important insight into Gauguin’s transitional years and his profound influence on subsequent Post-Impressionism artists. Because of the importance of these rare impressions, images of the work are frequently available through public domain resources for scholarly review.