Te faruru (Here We Make Love), from the Noa Noa Suite

Te faruru (Here We Make Love), from the Noa Noa Suite, is a striking wood-block print created by Paul Gauguin French, 1848-1903, between 1893 and 1894. This highly experimental piece showcases Gauguin’s innovative approach to printmaking following his first return from Tahiti. The technique is multifaceted: the image was printed twice, using both brown and black inks, a complexity augmented by selective wiping to achieve nuanced tonal variations. Furthermore, the final impression displays a transferred twill pattern, lending a distinct texture to the surface. The support consists of cream wove Japanese paper that Gauguin himself laminated onto cream laid Japanese paper, creating a unique composite support for his radical woodcut prints.

As part of the artist’s autobiographical project, Noa Noa (Fragrant Scent), the work encapsulates Gauguin’s romanticized vision of Tahitian life and intimate relationships. Following his departure from France, the artist sought inspiration in what he perceived as a more primitive and authentic culture. Unlike traditional European printmaking, Gauguin embraced the rough textures and expressive power of the carved wood block, treating the medium not merely as reproduction, but as an independent, deeply personal artistic expression. This important example of Symbolist printmaking resides in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, offering crucial insight into the late career of this influential artist.