Two Maori Women Squatting Down

Two Maori Women Squatting Down is a significant print created by Paul Gauguin French, 1848-1903, between 1894 and 1895. This striking image was rendered as a zincograph in black ink, executed on cream wove paper. As a printmaker, Gauguin frequently utilized lithographic processes like zincography to rapidly experiment with form, tone, and shadow, allowing for quick, textural production suitable for circulating his radical ideas about the South Pacific.

Created during the later period of his engagement with Tahitian subjects, the piece reflects Gauguin's intense, albeit often problematic, romanticization of indigenous Polynesian life. The subject depicts two women captured in a low, resting posture, typical of many of his figure studies from this era. The dense, expressive lines and contrasting blacks and whites inherent to the zincograph medium emphasize the sculptural quality of the figures and their heavy outlines, characteristic of the Symbolist aesthetic the artist helped pioneer. The technique itself allows the figures to emerge starkly from the background, intensifying their presence.

This work showcases the technical evolution of the French artist, 1848-1903, who employed the reductive nature of black and white prints to achieve emotional intensity. This influential piece is housed in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it serves as an important example of Post-Impressionist printmaking. Though originating in France, the visual language of the influential prints made by Gauguin dramatically altered the course of subsequent modern art movements. High-resolution images of this work are often made available through the public domain, ensuring its accessibility for critical study and public appreciation worldwide.