Mahna no Varua Ino (The Devil Speaks)

Mahna no Varua Ino (The Devil Speaks) is a significant print created by Paul Gauguin, Pola Gauguin, and Christian Cato between 1894 and 1895. Executed as a woodcut on delicate China paper, this graphic work exemplifies the raw aesthetic of Symbolism and Post-Impressionism prevalent in French culture during the late 19th century, specifically the 1876 to 1900 period. Paul Gauguin developed a keen interest in printmaking following his first major trip to Tahiti, utilizing the medium to explore the complex mythological and spiritual themes that characterized his experience of the South Pacific.

The choice of the woodcut technique allowed Gauguin to achieve the dramatic, high-contrast effects necessary for conveying the dark, spiritual subject implied by the title, "The Devil Speaks." Unlike the smooth surfaces of his paintings, this work employs a rough-hewn, almost primitive line quality, mirroring the purported simplicity and mystery of indigenous life that Gauguin sought to document. The collaboration involving Pola Gauguin and Cato indicates the dissemination and refinement of the elder Gauguin's iconic Tahitian imagery into reproducible prints meant for a wider audience. The resulting image uses heavy black areas and negative space to create a confrontational, unsettling composition, reflecting anxieties around spiritual possession or deep mythological belief.

This important example of French printmaking and Gauguin’s exploration of non-Western iconography is currently held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. As a key work dating from the turn of the century, the legacy of this piece continues to influence subsequent generations of graphic artists. Detailed images of these seminal prints, many of which are now considered within the public domain, allow researchers and students worldwide to study the profound impact Gauguin and his collaborators had on the trajectory of modern art.