Polynesian Woman with Children

Polynesian Woman with Children is a compelling oil on linen canvas created by the French Post-Impressionist master Paul Gauguin in 1901. Executed late in the artist’s career during his second and final residency in Tahiti, this painting exemplifies Gauguin’s relentless pursuit of the “primitive” life and his definitive break from naturalistic representation. Having established himself in France as a leader of the Post-Impressionism movement, Gauguin sought to imbue his tropical subjects with profound symbolic and spiritual resonance.

The composition features three figures: a woman seated centrally with two children, likely representing an idealized maternal scene within a lush, simplified environment. Gauguin’s technique employs broad fields of rich, saturated color and defined, dark outlines, a style derived from his earlier experimental work in Pont-Aven. The use of oil on linen allowed him to achieve a heavy, matte surface texture, emphasizing the flatness of the picture plane and denying traditional three-dimensional illusionism. Gauguin treated his subjects monumentally, lending the Polynesian Woman with Children a quiet dignity that borders on the iconic.

This work serves as a powerful testament to the themes that dominated Gauguin’s final years, blending indigenous culture with his own aesthetic philosophy. As a significant example of French modernist painting, the piece resides in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it is a cornerstone of their early 20th-century holdings. The importance of this work is reflected in its frequent circulation; due to its age, the image is now widely considered to be in the public domain, making high-quality prints available for study and appreciation worldwide.