Manao tupapau (She Thinks of the Ghost or The Ghost Thinks of Her)

Manao tupapau (She Thinks of the Ghost or The Ghost Thinks of Her) is a seminal wood-block print created by Paul Gauguin (French, 1848-1903) between 1894 and 1895. This specific impression was printed posthumously or under the supervision of Gauguin’s close friend and supporter, Georges-Daniel de Monfreid, utilizing black ink on delicate cream Japanese paper. This series of experimental prints occurred following Gauguin's first extended sojourn in Tahiti, serving as a graphic reinterpretation of one of his most famous oil paintings completed in 1892. The printmaking medium allowed Gauguin to study the complex symbolism and composition he developed while immersed in Polynesian culture.

Gauguin used the rigorous aesthetic of the woodcut to explore themes of fear, superstition, and the exoticized feminine figure central to his Tahitian period. The composition depicts a nude Tahitian girl, often identified as his young partner, Tetua, lying prone on a patterned bed, observed by a dark, looming figure or tupapau (a ghost or earth spirit). Unlike the original oil painting, this work, one of several Manao tupapau prints, utilizes the raw, stark qualities inherent to the wood-block technique. Gauguin manipulated the grain of the wood itself to create expressive, textured fields of black and white, amplifying the sense of primal dread and isolation that dominates the scene.

This crucial example of French Post-Impressionist printmaking and Symbolism is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. The relatively small edition size makes original impressions scarce, though this iconic depiction is widely studied and available through institutional and public domain archives, ensuring the longevity of Gauguin's radical exploration into Polynesian mythology.