The Universe is Created (L'Univers est créé), from Fragrance (Noa Noa)

The Universe is Created (L'Univers est créé), from Fragrance (Noa Noa) is a seminal print created by Paul Gauguin between 1893 and 1894. This highly influential woodcut on china paper represents a radical exploration of graphic arts following Gauguin’s first transformative journey to Tahiti. This rare impression is housed in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Gauguin developed the Noa Noa series (Fragrance) as illustrations intended to accompany his travel journal, which chronicled his immersion into Polynesian life, spirituality, and creation myths. The artist abandoned traditional European printmaking techniques, utilizing the inherent characteristics of the wood grain and negative space to generate a powerful, raw aesthetic. Gauguin deliberately left the plank’s surface uneven, contributing a primal energy that complements the thematic material.

In The Universe is Created, the artist embraces strong elements of Abstraction, transforming traditional narratives into swirling, simplified symbols. This technique reflects the Symbolist movement’s drive to prioritize spiritual and emotional reality over precise visual representation. Gauguin sought to blend indigenous forms of expression with his own Post-Impressionist sensibility, resulting in a composition that appears both archaic and intensely modern. His innovative approach to making prints revolutionized the medium for subsequent generations of artists. While this original work remains a highly valued museum piece, high-quality images and descriptive metadata regarding this crucial print are often available via public domain initiatives, ensuring widespread scholarly study of Gauguin's later period.