Three People, a Mask, a Fox and a Bird, headpiece forLe sourire

Three People, a Mask, a Fox and a Bird, headpiece forLe sourire is a significant wood-block print created by the French Post-Impressionist master Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) in 1899. This specific impression, printed in rich black ink on delicate ivory China paper, was realized by his son, Pola Gauguin (1883-1961), and published in Copenhagen by Christian Cato. The work was originally intended as a decorative headpiece for Le sourire (The Smile), Gauguin’s private manuscript journal and bulletin written during his residence in the South Pacific.

Gauguin’s choice of the wood-block print medium reflects his deliberate rejection of academic Western techniques, favoring instead the raw, expressive power of carving and relief printing. This technique allowed him to achieve a stark simplification of form and an unsettlingly dense texture. The composition features a cluster of three human figures juxtaposed with powerful symbolic elements: a prominent tribal mask, a fox, and a bird. This synthesis of humanity, exotic animals, and ritualistic imagery characterizes the artist’s mature style, emphasizing his relentless search for a spirituality untouched by modern European society.

As a key example of fin-de-siècle printmaking, this work demonstrates the profound impact Gauguin had on graphic arts in France and beyond. This powerful piece, classified as a print, resides in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, offering crucial insight into the artist’s symbolic vocabulary in the final years of his career.