Te Faruru (They are Making Love Here)

Te Faruru (They are Making Love Here) by Paul Gauguin; Louis Roy is a significant and powerful example of French printmaking created between 1894 and 1895. This highly innovative piece is classified as a color woodcut, a medium Gauguin explored extensively upon returning from his first trip to Tahiti. Dating squarely within the period of 1876 to 1900, the work reflects the pivotal shifts occurring in the graphic arts toward the end of the nineteenth century, emphasizing expressive potential over traditional representation. Gauguin’s choice of the woodcut allowed him to utilize simplified, angular forms and heavily emphasized textures, lending the image a raw, forceful quality essential to his Post-Impressionist aesthetic.

The subject matter draws directly from Gauguin's experiences and interpretations of Polynesian life, where the Tahitian title refers explicitly to intimate relations. The visual language employed by Gauguin emphasizes stark contrasts and bold compositional structures, often using flattened space and thick outlines characteristic of Synthetism. Louis Roy collaborated on the print's production, assisting in the crucial and complex processes of inking and pressing to achieve the desired colors and texture that elevate the original carved matrix into a definitive artistic statement.

This specific impression of the color woodcut resides in the prestigious prints collection of the National Gallery of Art (NGA). The enduring influence of Te Faruru lies in its daring subject matter and its technical experimentation, cementing Gauguin’s reputation as a pioneer in modern graphic arts. As a celebrated work from the French fin-de-siècle, this image contributes significantly to the visual record of late 19th-century cultural avant-garde, continually studied for its impact on subsequent generations of artists exploring the print medium.