Two Tahitian Women in a Landscape

Two Tahitian Women in a Landscape by Paul Gauguin French, 1848-1903, is an exceptional example of the artist's restless experimentation with form, color, and technique during his immersion in Polynesian culture. Dating from the period 1887 to 1897, this work, though categorized as a painting, is technically a complex mixed-media monotype matrix. This unique process involved applying watercolor and gouache to the surface, which Gauguin further accentuated with brushwork and green ink, utilizing underlying traces of graphite to establish the composition.

The monotype was rendered on delicate cream Japanese paper, subsequently laid down on a tan wove paper support that has since been partially removed. This intricate layering demonstrates Gauguin’s desire to blur the lines between drawing, painting, and printmaking, resulting in rich, atmospheric effects.

The work features two women situated within a lush, generalized landscape, embodying the idealized image of non-Western life that dominated Gauguin’s imagination. His persistent flight from the conventional art scene in France led him to develop a Symbolist style that emphasized emotional impact over naturalistic representation. This piece documents his evolving visual language, characterized by flattened space and simplified, bold contours.

This rare monotype matrix offers unique access to the artist's working methods during his transformative years in the South Pacific. While prints and studies from this crucial period are frequently encountered, this specific piece allows scholars to appreciate the subtle complexities of his materials. This singular example of Gauguin's exploratory genius resides in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.