Two Breton Women; Landscape [recto]

"Two Breton Women; Landscape [recto]" by Paul Gauguin is a significant drawing created during the pivotal period between 1884 and 1888. This work, executed in crayon on wove paper, captures a subject that would preoccupy the French artist throughout his early career: the women and rugged landscape of rural Brittany. The composition features two figures dressed in traditional regional costume, their forms rendered with an observational clarity characteristic of the period, yet suggesting the beginnings of the structural simplification that would soon define Gauguin’s distinctive style.

The creation of this drawing falls within the critical period of 1876 to 1900, a time when Gauguin was distancing himself from Impressionism and moving toward Synthetism. While many of the artist's better-known works from Brittany are oil paintings, this drawing provides essential insight into the immediate preparatory phase of his process. Gauguin’s continued fascination with Brittany stemmed from his search for a primal authenticity, an aesthetic concern that drove him to simplify color palettes and emphasize bold outlines. Even in the relatively restrained medium of crayon, the tension between accurate depiction and aesthetic reduction is palpable in the manner he treats the figures and the surrounding terrain.

This sheet is an important record of the artist's evolving methodology, demonstrating his mastery over diverse mediums before his transformative travels outside of Europe. The work is classified as a drawing and is held within the esteemed collections of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Due to the historical importance of the piece and its age, high-quality prints of the original are occasionally produced, making the essence of this influential artwork accessible to the public through various public domain initiatives.