Maori Woman in the Forest

"Maori Woman in the Forest," created by Paul Gauguin French, 1848-1903 between 1894 and 1895, is a singular example of the artist's pioneering graphic arts experimentation. Classified as a print, this complex work utilizes a wood-block printed in black ink. Gauguin did not treat the impression as a static reproduction; instead, he heavily manipulated the image with solvent and brushwork directly onto ivory Japanese paper, transforming the composition with unique painterly effects and blurred tonalities. The finished piece was subsequently laid down on a larger sheet of cream Japanese paper, highlighting the work's hybrid nature between printmaking and drawing.

This print was produced shortly after Gauguin's return from his initial sojourn in Tahiti, reflecting his ongoing engagement with Polynesian culture and his search for an aesthetic spiritual purity removed from industrial Europe. The subject matter reflects the artist’s desire to depict indigenous life, far removed from the constraints of metropolitan France. The figure of the Maori woman is situated within a dense, stylized forest environment, typical of the flattened perspective and decorative pattern making found in Gauguin’s Symbolist tendencies during the mid-1890s. Through his representation of South Seas subjects, he sought to evoke a sense of primal mystery and spiritual connection.

The innovative techniques employed solidify Maori Woman in the Forest as a key work in Gauguin’s extensive graphic oeuvre. These hand-worked prints demonstrate his profound commitment to the aesthetic potential of the woodcut medium, setting him apart from his contemporaries. This unique work currently resides in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Reproductions of these seminal Gauguin prints often enter the public domain, ensuring broad access to the work of this pivotal Post-Impressionist master.