Title Page for "Le Sourire" (Titre du Sourire)

Title Page for "Le Sourire" (Titre du Sourire) is a powerful woodcut created by Paul Gauguin in 1899. Executed on delicate Japan paper, this work served as the title illustration for the short-lived Tahitian periodical, Le Sourire (The Smile), which Gauguin self-published from his second residence in the South Pacific. This unique use of printmaking places the piece firmly within the production of French fine art at the close of the 19th century. Although renowned for his painting, Gauguin was a dedicated printmaker throughout the period spanning 1876 to 1900, using the inherently direct and simplified qualities of the woodcut to express his complex ideological shift toward Primitivism.

Gauguin’s approach to the woodcut medium in works like this is highly distinctive. Unlike traditional academic prints, this piece exhibits a rough, decisive cutting style, which the artist favored to reflect the raw spirituality and tropical atmosphere he experienced in Tahiti. The technique allowed him to maximize the contrast between deep black fields and the exposed white surface of the paper. As the title page, the composition likely features symbolic or decorative elements typical of Gauguin’s mature period, designed specifically to capture the journal's irreverent and sometimes subversive spirit, often blending Polynesian motifs with European text.

As a significant example of Post-Impressionist prints, this graphic work demonstrates Gauguin’s revolutionary application of the medium, cementing its status in the history of Modern art. This rare example of Gauguin's late graphic output is preserved in the prestigious collection of the National Gallery of Art. The piece, classified as a woodcut on Japan paper, offers essential insight into the artist’s self-managed commercial and artistic projects abroad. While the original physical editions of the periodical Le Sourire are scarce, high-resolution documentation of these prints are frequently available for study through public domain initiatives, ensuring this critical aspect of Gauguin’s creative legacy remains accessible worldwide.