The Universe Is Created

The Universe Is Created is a significant woodcut printed in color on wove paper, executed by Paul Gauguin between 1893 and 1894. This complex and highly original printmaking technique reflects Gauguin's immersion in non-Western art forms following his first extended period in Tahiti. Unlike the precise reproductive engravings common in European graphic arts, this work embraces the roughness and primal directness inherent in the woodcut medium, utilizing deeply gouged lines and highly textured printing to achieve its dramatic aesthetic.

The composition centers on primal, stylized Human Figures engaged in an act of creation or genesis. These figures emerge from a dense, abstracted environment rich with foliage and large, stylized Leaves, signaling a return to a mythical, Edenic state. Gauguin deliberately uses color selectively and non-naturalistically to emphasize symbolic meaning over descriptive representation. The imagery fuses elements of traditional biblical mythology with Tahitian cosmology, forming a highly personal and often mysterious iconography central to the artist’s later career.

This series of woodcuts stands as one of Gauguin’s most experimental contributions to late 19th-century prints. The artist meticulously carved the block to allow for registration of multiple colors, a complex process that ensured a unique result in each impression. This particular impression of The Universe Is Created is held in the renowned collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it serves as a crucial example of Post-Impressionist graphic innovation. As a historically important piece, high-resolution reproductions of the work are increasingly accessible through public domain initiatives, allowing wider study of Gauguin's revolutionary approach to the woodcut.