Two Studies of a Child's Head; Two Studies of a Child's Head, a Woman in Profile, and a Man Wrestling an Animal [recto]

Two Studies of a Child's Head; Two Studies of a Child's Head, a Woman in Profile, and a Man Wrestling an Animal [recto] is a compelling composite sheet by Paul Gauguin, executed in pen and brown ink on wove paper between 1884 and 1888. Classified as a drawing, this piece captures the artist's simultaneous interest in domestic observation and narrative invention during a crucial period of his artistic development. The recto surface presents a dynamic accumulation of imagery: several meticulous studies of a child’s head, suggesting attempts to capture specific expressions or anatomical details, alongside a defined profile portrait of a woman. Contradicting these intimate subjects is a more loosely sketched, highly energetic depiction of a man wrestling an animal, perhaps hinting at mythological themes or the primitive vigor Gauguin increasingly sought in his work.

Executed during the French art period spanning 1876 to 1900, this drawing reflects Gauguin's trajectory away from pure Impressionism towards the Synthetist style he would define in subsequent years. The use of ink on paper allowed Gauguin to quickly document figures and narrative possibilities, serving as a functional preparatory sketch. The combination of detailed figural study and dynamic narrative elements demonstrates the complex visual thinking underpinning the Post-Impressionist master’s output.

Gauguin’s persistent practice of observational sketching, even while exploring dramatic subjects like the wrestling scene, provides valuable insight into his transition from a conventional artist to a leading avant-garde figure. Drawings such as this are key to understanding the origins of his later Tahitian iconography, which often merged observed reality with profound symbolism. This important example of Gauguin's graphic work resides in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. The accessibility of such historical works, particularly those entering the public domain, allows scholars to closely examine the foundational techniques Gauguin employed during this pivotal stage of his career in France.