Tahitian Idol—the Goddess Hina

Tahitian Idol, the Goddess Hina by Paul Gauguin French, 1848-1903, is a powerful manifestation of the artist’s deeply felt connection to South Pacific mythology and his inventive application of the print medium. Executed between 1894 and 1895, the work is classified specifically as a wood-block print in black ink, dramatically augmented by sophisticated hand-coloring techniques. Gauguin used brush and solvent-thinned media, selectively applying rich ocher, reddish-orange tones, and delicate touches of green wax-and-resin-based pigments onto cream wove paper. This hybridization of carving, inking, and painting gives the final piece a unique, textural quality, moving far beyond the restrictions of traditional black-and-white prints.

This rendering of the deity Hina reflects Gauguin’s enduring fascination with non-Western spiritual belief systems and his effort, as a French artist working in Polynesia, to synthesize Symbolism with a perceived primitive power. The stark, carved lines characteristic of the wood-block method lend a raw, monumental presence to the idol, positioning the figure as a profound symbol of mythic Tahitian culture. Gauguin’s explorations in producing such complex, colored prints were instrumental in redefining the potential of graphic arts toward the end of the 19th century. This important example of his graphic output, dating from his second major period of development in France and Tahiti, resides in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. While this unique impression is protected, the influence of Gauguin’s powerful prints continues through public domain access to much of his graphic oeuvre.