Manao tupapau (Watched by the Spirit of the Dead) from Noa Noa (Fragrant Scent)

Manao tupapau (Watched by the Spirit of the Dead) from Noa Noa (Fragrant Scent) by Paul Gauguin is one of a pivotal series of eight woodcuts created in 1894, though the impression currently held by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) was printed posthumously in 1921. This French artist produced the graphic series to illustrate his autobiographical travelogue, Noa Noa, detailing his initial journey to Tahiti (1891-1893) and his attempts to integrate into Polynesian life. Gauguin chose the challenging woodcut medium to reflect the raw, ‘primitive’ aesthetic he associated with non-Western cultures, marking a radical departure from conventional European printmaking traditions.

The image is compositionally derived from Gauguin’s celebrated 1892 oil painting of the same title. The scene captures a moment of cultural anxiety: a crouching, nude young woman, reportedly Gauguin’s companion, recoiling in the darkness, watched by a spectral figure known locally as the tupapau (ghost or spirit). Gauguin often utilized elements of Tahitian folklore and spiritual belief to elevate his work into the realm of symbolist mythology.

In contrast to the vibrant chromatic intensity of the oil version, this print relies on stark contrasts, heavy lines, and deeply incised blacks. Gauguin innovated the print process by deliberately scoring the woodblock surface rough, utilizing the grain of the wood itself to create textural depth and achieve an intensity appropriate for the primal narrative. Created during a period when Gauguin was deeply immersed in synthesizing Symbolism with his interpretation of non-Western art forms, the Manao tupapau series stands as a key example of Post-Impressionist graphic work. The distinction between the block's creation date (1894) and the printing date of this impression (1921) is typical for the complex documentation history of Gauguin's graphic oeuvre, now residing in major museum collections like MoMA.