Mahna no varua ino (The Devil Speaks), from the Noa Noa Suite

Mahna no varua ino (The Devil Speaks), from the Noa Noa Suite, is a seminal wood-block print created by Paul Gauguin between 1893 and 1894, during his formative first sojourn in Tahiti. The artist utilized the demanding medium of wood-block printing, rendering the stark, psychological image in black ink on delicate grayish-ivory China paper. This piece is a central component of the Noa Noa Suite, a body of graphic work designed to accompany Gauguin’s illustrated travelogue that documented his quest for a spiritual and artistic escape from industrialized France.

The woodcut technique, characterized by raw lines and flattened, symbolic shapes, perfectly suited Gauguin’s exploration of Polynesian spirituality and mythology. The image, which translates to "The Devil Speaks," confronts themes of fear and superstition, depicting a somber female figure haunted by a dark, grotesque presence derived from local tiki and ancestral spirits. This confrontation between the vulnerable Tahitian subject and an omnipresent dark force encapsulates Gauguin’s desire to merge his Symbolist sensibilities with the perceived primitivism of the South Pacific.

Although the work originated from the artist’s hand in the 1890s, the edition housed in the Art Institute of Chicago collection was printed later by his son, Pola Gauguin, and formally published by Christian Cato in Copenhagen. This publication effort ensured that these pivotal prints were widely circulated across Europe. As a lasting contribution to French graphic art, this work remains influential, often studied for its masterful use of negative space and line. Today, this iconic image is frequently accessible through public domain collections, helping to solidify Gauguin’s legacy as a post-Impressionist master.