The detailed drawing, Sketches of Children, a Woman, and Profiles (recto), Sketches of Horses and Child (verso), was created by Paul Gauguin French, 1848-1903, between 1891 and 1893. This complex sheet, removed from one of Gauguin's working sketchbooks, utilizes a variety of media across both sides of the cream wove paper, which has since discolored to tan. The recto features expressive marks of graphite and blue gouache, highlighted with pen and watercolor. The verso, conversely, shows graphite studies layered over a similar ink and watercolor base. Notably, the pale yellow ink visible today originally presented a purple hue, revealing the subtle effects of light and time on the pigments the artist employed.
Reflecting Gauguin’s characteristic interest in documenting the human form and animal life, the recto side contains rapid studies of female and child figures alongside various profiles, emphasizing the observational nature of his drawing practice. The verso features careful studies of horses accompanied by another child figure, suggesting these were preparatory notes or simple visual records compiled during the critical 1891-1893 period, a pivotal time immediately following his definitive departure from France. Gauguin’s classification of this work as a drawing emphasizes its function as a preliminary study essential to the development of his Symbolist vocabulary.
This sheet offers important insight into the techniques Gauguin refined during his transitional period before his final years in the South Pacific. As a drawing classified under French culture, the work remains an essential object for studying the transition from European Post-Impressionism to the new subject matter he explored abroad. This vital record of the artist’s preparatory process is preserved in the distinguished collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. High-quality prints of such foundational works are often utilized for detailed art historical study.
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