Te Po (The Long Night)

Te Po (The Long Night) is a significant print created through the collaborative efforts of Paul Gauguin, Pola Gauguin, and Christian Cato between 1894 and 1895. This striking French work, executed as a woodcut on delicate China paper, exemplifies the aesthetic and philosophical concerns dominating the European art world during the period 1876 to 1900. The choice of the woodcut medium reflects Gauguin’s desire to achieve raw, textured expressions suitable for depicting Polynesian mythology and atmosphere, a key focus during his time in Tahiti.

The title, which translates to "The Long Night" or "The Deep Night," refers directly to the Polynesian creation state, the primordial darkness that precedes light and life. This subject matter underscores the artist’s deep engagement with indigenous cultural narratives, which he sought to integrate into his Symbolist vocabulary. The inherent contrasts and rough textures achieved by the relief printing process lend a primal urgency to the composition, aligning with the broader movement away from academic refinement toward a search for expressive sincerity.

The collaborative nature of this piece, involving the elder Gauguin, his son Pola, and Christian Cato, suggests a shared artistic inquiry into the possibilities of printmaking during this innovative phase of the late 19th century. The resulting impression is considered a critical document of the Symbolist movement's engagement with non-Western subjects.

As a crucial example of French fin-de-siècle printmaking, the woodcut resides in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art. The piece is cataloged strictly as a print, emphasizing its technical distinction. The availability of high-quality data regarding masterworks like Te Po (The Long Night) ensures its continuous study and public accessibility, often placing information regarding these historical prints into the public domain for researchers and art enthusiasts worldwide.