Te atua (The God), from the Noa Noa Suite

Te atua (The God), from the Noa Noa Suite, is a seminal wood-block print created by Paul Gauguin French, 1848-1903, between 1893 and 1894. This work is a remarkable example of Gauguin’s highly experimental printmaking process, which elevated the raw aesthetic of the woodcut medium. The artist utilized a complex layering technique, printing the block twice in vibrant orange and brown inks over a residual base of black ink.

This unique application yields subtle color shifts and texture, transforming each impression into a monotype-like object. Further enhancing its complexity, the surface bears evidence of careful wiping and specific touches of hand-applied black ink. The image is rendered on thin wove paper, originally pale-pink but now faded to a soft tan hue, adding to the print’s antique appearance.

Gauguin created this image as part of the Noa Noa Suite, a collection of prints intended to illustrate the journal of his first sojourn in Tahiti, written upon his return to France. The work powerfully captures his efforts to interpret and visually codify indigenous Tahitian spiritual figures, or atua. The deliberate roughness of the woodcut medium itself reflects Gauguin’s aesthetic goal of moving away from European academic conventions towards a more primal form of expression.

The radical approach Gauguin took to printmaking cemented his influence on modern graphic arts. These highly sought-after prints remain critical documents of the artist's Post-Impressionist period. This specific impression of Te atua (The God) is a highlight of the Art Institute of Chicago’s collection, held in the public domain for research and scholarly reference.