Portrait of Stéphane Mallarmé

The Portrait of Stéphane Mallarmé by Paul Gauguin, executed in 1891, stands as a rare and significant example of the artist's engagement with the print medium. This intimate work was achieved through the demanding dual techniques of etching and drypoint. Gauguin often utilized printmaking for highly personal subjects or preparatory studies, and this approach provides a stark, monochromatic contrast to the richly colored paintings he would soon create during his subsequent explorations in the South Seas. The use of etching allowed for precise delineation, while the addition of drypoint lent a textural, velvety quality to the ink, particularly noticeable in the deepest shadows that frame Mallarmé’s expressive, intellectual countenance.

The subject, Stéphane Mallarmé (1842-1898), was the undisputed master of French Symbolist poetry and a key figure in the Parisian art world during the late nineteenth century. Gauguin created this portrait shortly before his famous first departure for Tahiti in 1891, underscoring the close professional ties between the French literary and visual Symbolist movements of the era. Mallarmé’s influential Tuesday evening salons served as vital meeting points for many members of the avant-garde. In this piece, Gauguin depicts the poet with a characteristic intensity, emphasizing his intellectual gravity through the subtle interplay of light and shadow inherent in the nature of a quality print.

Unlike the highly stylized and color-driven canvases for which Gauguin is primarily known, this particular graphic work offers direct access to his ability to capture character through linear composition alone. As one of the noteworthy prints created by the artist during a pivotal year of transition, the Portrait of Stéphane Mallarmé serves as a crucial document of his final European period before embracing primitivism. This outstanding example of Gauguin’s French graphic art is held within the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.