The Mermaid and the Monkey

The Mermaid and the Monkey by Paul Gauguin is a captivating example of late 19th-century graphic art, executed as a color woodcut on delicate Japan paper. Although Gauguin’s major career flourished later, spanning the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements, this piece is associated with the 1826 to 1850 foundational period of French printmaking, reflecting the aesthetic traditions that informed his later experimental methods. As a pivotal figure in the development of modern art, Gauguin often utilized the medium of prints as a space for radical innovation, shifting the woodcut away from simple illustration toward a flattened, intensely symbolic visual language.

The technique itself-the color woodcut-allowed Gauguin to achieve bold outlines and broad areas of saturated color, distinguishing his style from contemporary etchings and lithographs. The subject matter, which juxtaposes the mythological mermaid with the primal monkey, draws upon the thematic preoccupation with the exotic, the natural world, and the tension between civilization and instinct that dominated the artist’s work following his time in the South Pacific. Gauguin’s focus on form and symbolic narrative profoundly influenced subsequent generations of French printmakers. The richness of the Japan paper enhances the deep tones and textures inherent in the carved wooden block, resulting in a highly expressive work.

As a significant example of French graphic art, the piece documents the increasing interest in non-Western motifs and the revival of printmaking techniques during the late 19th century. Gauguin’s utilization of the woodcut format ensured that these images could be reproduced, widening their intellectual and visual impact beyond his singular oil paintings. This important print is held within the esteemed collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Due to its historical importance and the museum’s commitment to access, high-resolution reproductions of the work are frequently classified as public domain resources, allowing broad study of Gauguin’s critical contribution to modern prints.