Te Atua (The Gods) from Noa Noa (Fragrant Scent)

Te Atua (The Gods) from Noa Noa (Fragrant Scent) by Paul Gauguin is a defining work of the Post-Impressionist period, executed in 1893 as a key component of the artist’s influential manuscript, Noa Noa. Created between 1893–94 following his first transformative journey to Tahiti, this woodcut represents Gauguin’s radical departure from traditional French printmaking toward a deliberately rough, expressive technique designed to convey the spiritual and mythological landscape of Polynesia.

Gauguin intentionally revived and reinvented the woodcut, treating the medium not as a vehicle for precise replication but as a primal means of visual storytelling. The block was carved with a deliberate crudeness that results in heavy, thick lines and stark contrasts, reinforcing the exotic and mystic themes of the piece. This technique prefigures later Expressionist movements. The subject matter of Te Atua focuses directly on the Tahitian spiritual universe, depicting figures of local deities surrounded by simplified, symbolic forms. Gauguin sought to portray the deep, often mysterious, connection between the island people and their environment, rejecting the classical European representation of the divine.

This piece is fundamentally linked to the Noa Noa text, which combines Gauguin's prose with his innovative prints, creating a symbiotic narrative detailing his life and artistic philosophy during his time away from France. The resulting prints, including this one, became pivotal examples of Symbolism and Primitivism.

As a significant example of modern prints, the work resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The influence of Gauguin’s 1893–94 experiments in the woodcut medium cannot be overstated, fundamentally shifting how subsequent generations of artists approached relief printing. Although this unique work is preserved in the MoMA collection, reproductions and high-resolution images are widely accessible, often through public domain initiatives, allowing the revolutionary vision of this French master to be studied globally.