Oviri

The wood-block print Oviri was created by Paul Gauguin French, 1848-1903, in 1894. This highly experimental piece demonstrates Gauguin’s complex approach to printmaking, pushing the technical boundaries of the medium during the Post-Impressionist era. The recto side of the work is executed as a wood-block print, carefully printed twice using deep-yellow ocher and brown ink. Further definition is achieved through hand-applied touches of black watercolor on cream wove paper, which is an imitation Japanese vellum.

Gauguin utilized the double-sided nature of the support by also printing the verso. This side features a different iteration of the image rendered in black ink over a red ink tone block, supplemented by a brush and solvent-thinned orange wash. Both the recto and verso are mounted on a mottled blue wove laminate card, a unique element of the overall presentation. This layered use of color and complex printing registration exemplifies Gauguin's ongoing exploration of Symbolism and non-Western cultural influences, particularly those adopted during his time away from France. Classified definitively as a print, this masterful example of Gauguin’s graphic output offers insight into the artist’s inventive spirit. The work is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, making available one of the most innovative prints produced in the late 19th century.