Tahitian Heads

Tahitian Heads is a drawing by Paul Gauguin executed in graphite on wove paper between 1891 and 1893. This classification as a drawing falls within the critical period of French art history spanning 1876 to 1900, a time when Post-Impressionism and Symbolism were redefining the European avant-garde. The work, characteristic of the intensive observational studies Gauguin produced immediately following his arrival in Tahiti in 1891, captures multiple views of indigenous figures in various states of focus.

Using only graphite on paper, Gauguin created these detailed preparatory studies, which served as essential references for his later iconic oil paintings, sculptures, and woodcuts. The medium emphasizes line and contour over tonal mass, a technique crucial to Gauguin’s move toward the flattening of perspective and reliance on strong outlines in his finished works. He captures the profiles and frontal views of various subjects, likely models encountered near his settlement, utilizing sharp, economical lines to define the structure of the faces and the flow of hair. These precise yet abstracted forms were foundational elements in his development of a unique visual language based on Polynesian iconography and perceived spirituality.

Gauguin’s commitment to documenting Tahitian culture was central to his Symbolist mission to find a source of Primitivism uncontaminated by European civilization. Although the observational precision suggests objective study, these individual Tahitian Heads fundamentally support his later mythological and narrative canvases, blending direct experience with spiritual allegory. This significant piece resides in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art. Given its cultural and historical context, the drawing is widely studied, and high-quality prints and digitized copies are frequently made available in the public domain for scholarly research and appreciation worldwide.