Mahna no Varua Ino (The Demon Speaks) [verso]

Mahna no Varua Ino (The Demon Speaks) [verso], created by Paul Gauguin and Louis Roy between 1893 and 1894, is a significant color woodcut printed on delicate Japanese paper. This complex collaboration is rooted in Gauguin’s time in Tahiti, where he sought to capture the myths, spirituality, and unsettling power of indigenous belief systems. While Gauguin primarily established the dark, brooding compositions, the execution of the print medium often involved Roy, who helped translate the design into the difficult technique of the woodcut and its final printed state.

The work belongs to the critical period of French art spanning 1876 to 1900, marking the transition from Impressionism into Symbolism and Post-Impressionism. Gauguin utilized the stark contrasts inherent in the woodcut technique to emphasize the psychological weight of the subject matter, a characteristic feature of his graphic output in the 1890s. Unlike traditional relief prints, this work uses color to enhance its expressive quality, adding depth to the figures and their ominous environment. The title itself points toward Gauguin’s focus on the supernatural and the existential dread he often associated with the Polynesian culture he simultaneously romanticized and feared.

As a striking example of Post-Impressionist graphic art, this piece showcases the avant-garde adoption of printmaking as a primary medium for artistic expression, moving beyond mere reproduction. The rough, intentionally primitive lines favored by Gauguin and Roy give the composition an intensity suitable for the subject. This notable work is classified as a print and resides in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, providing crucial insight into the graphic explorations of this major French artist during the pivotal late nineteenth century. Depending on its status, the work may enter the public domain, allowing for greater accessibility to this key example of graphic media from the period.