The Queen of Beauty -- Langorous

"The Queen of Beauty -- Langorous" is a profound woodcut created by Paul Gauguin in 1898, during the artist’s second, crucial period living in Tahiti. This specific impression, residing in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, provides a powerful example of Gauguin’s highly experimental approach to printmaking. The work is classified as a print, notable for its complex medium: a woodcut executed on fragile, transparent wove tissue paper, which was then meticulously laid down onto a bristol board support. This technique highlights the aggressive carving and deep textural quality of the woodblock, allowing for a distinctive softness and tonal range in the resulting image.

The subject matter focuses on a reclining female nude, a common motif in Gauguin’s Polynesian iconography. The figure is rendered with the heavy contours and simplified forms characteristic of his Post-Impressionist style. Gauguin utilizes the expressive power of the woodcut to reduce the body to essential lines, emphasizing the 'langorous' state of repose suggested by the title, while furthering his interest in depicting non-Western ideas of beauty and sensuality.

This piece is essential for understanding the graphic phase of Gauguin’s career, which often paralleled or informed his major paintings. As part of the esteemed Metropolitan Museum of Art collection, The Queen of Beauty -- Langorous is frequently studied as a critical link between Symbolist ideology and early Modernist aesthetics. Due to the historical and educational value of these prints, high-quality documentation is often made available through public domain initiatives, ensuring continued access for art historians and researchers globally.