The Drama of the Sea, Brittany, from the "Volpini Suite: Dessins lithographiques"

The print The Drama of the Sea, Brittany, from the "Volpini Suite: Dessins lithographiques" by Paul Gauguin, created in 1889, represents a critical shift in the artist’s engagement with graphic media. This specific impression is a first edition zincograph, expertly rendered on distinctive chrome yellow wove paper. The Dessins lithographiques, commonly known as the “Volpini Suite,” marked Gauguin’s first major venture into organized printmaking, produced specifically for exhibition at the Café Volpini during the Paris Exposition Universelle.

The subject matter reflects the time Gauguin spent in Brittany, drawing inspiration from the rugged coastal landscape and the traditional lives of its inhabitants. While the titular focus is the turbulent sea, the composition emphasizes the solemn figures of women, likely local peasants, integrated into the powerful environment. Gauguin utilized the stark, simplified forms characteristic of his developing Symbolist style, employing contrast and heavy outline to define the figures against dramatic, empty spaces.

This piece, made using zinc plates rather than the traditional limestone of lithography, allowed Gauguin to achieve a raw, expressive quality perfectly suited to the moody themes of the 1889 series. The experimental nature of the suite established Gauguin as a major innovator in Post-Impressionist graphic art. As an essential example of the artist’s early prints, the work resides in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. High-resolution images and details of these historically significant works are increasingly made available to the public domain through museum initiatives.