Man Carrying Bananas Followed by Two Horses, headpiece for Le sourire

The influential Post-Impressionist Paul Gauguin (French, 1848-1903) created the striking wood-block print, Man Carrying Bananas Followed by Two Horses, headpiece for Le sourire, in 1900. This highly graphic image was specifically designed to serve as a masthead or header for Le sourire (The Smile), Gauguin’s personal, often controversial, satirical journal distributed while he lived in the South Pacific. The subject matter—a figure laden with fruit accompanied by horses—speaks to the artist's sustained fascination with Oceanic life and indigenous themes, interpreted through the unique aesthetic of his late-career prints.

Gauguin utilized a complex and experimental printing technique for this work, producing both a recto and a verso impression on cream wove paper, often referred to as imitation Japanese vellum. The recto displays the image printed twice in black ink, demonstrating the artist’s characteristic rough-hewn style appropriate for the wood-block medium. The verso presents a further variation: the same woodcut is printed in black ink layered over an orange ink tone block, adding textural depth and color complexity not typically found in traditional French prints of the era. This piece is a crucial example of Gauguin’s graphic output from his final years spent far from France, where he pushed the boundaries of modern printmaking. Recognized internationally as a significant contribution to Modern art, this specific impression of Man Carrying Bananas Followed by Two Horses, headpiece for Le sourire is housed in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. This work, along with many other historical prints, often enters the public domain, increasing access to Gauguin's innovative graphic techniques.