Te Faruru (They are Making Love Here)

Te Faruru (They are Making Love Here) is a powerful print created by Paul Gauguin between 1894 and 1895. Executed as a woodcut rendered in rich brown ink, the work is a significant example of the French artist’s late career output, following his first transformative journey to Tahiti. This piece is classified within the core creative period of 1876 to 1900, a time marked by Gauguin's radical departure from European academic norms and his profound interest in non-Western aesthetic traditions. The title, meaning "They are Making Love Here," directly addresses themes of intimacy and the perceived innocence of local Tahitian customs, which became central subjects for the artist.

Gauguin fundamentally redefined the woodcut medium, treating it not merely as a reproductive technique but as an expressive artistic tool tailored to his Synthetist and Primitivist impulses. He utilized the coarse grain and natural irregularities of the woodblock to impart a raw, vigorous texture, enhancing the dense atmosphere surrounding the figures depicted. This deliberate choice of medium and technique in the creation of prints allowed Gauguin to translate the simplified forms and bold contours characteristic of his paintings into graphic art, highlighting the stark interplay between light and shadow.

As a historic French artwork, Te Faruru exemplifies Gauguin’s skill in transferring complex cultural observations into simplified, potent visual statements. The rarity and unique character of these impressions cemented his role in advancing modern printmaking during the fin-de-siècle era. This important piece is held within the distinguished collection of the National Gallery of Art. Due to the artwork’s age and prominence, high-resolution images of these original prints are often included in museum public domain collections, ensuring continued study of Gauguin’s impactful synthesis of Symbolism and Post-Impressionism.