Two Tahitians Gathering Fruit [recto]

Two Tahitians Gathering Fruit [recto] is a celebrated example of the French artist Paul Gauguin’s graphic explorations produced late in his career, dated 1899-1900. Classified as a print, the work employs the highly specialized and experimental medium of traced monotype, executed in rich tones of brown and ocher on wove paper. This technique involves drawing with a stylus onto a thin sheet laid over an inked plate, effectively transferring the ink residue to the paper and yielding unique, non-multipliable prints that blur the line between drawing and reproduction.

The technical complexity of this specific piece is heightened by the fact that the image was printed twice, intensifying the density of the colors and lending a nuanced, velvety texture to the figures and the surrounding foliage. Gauguin’s focus here is on the serene labor of the South Pacific natives. The composition portrays two monumental Tahitian figures engaged in the simple yet crucial task of gathering fruit, reflecting the artist’s idealized vision of non-Western life. This subject provided a spiritual and cultural contrast to the rapidly modernizing European society he had abandoned.

Produced during the pivotal art historical period spanning 1876 to 1900, this work epitomizes Post-Impressionist concerns with symbolism, simplified form, and expressive design. Gauguin utilized printmaking not merely for reproduction but as an intimate means of developing narrative and formal expression, often mirroring his preparatory sketches. The subdued palette successfully captures the sense of deep shadow and organic shapes characteristic of the tropical environment. This unique and important piece of graphic art is housed in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, where it serves as crucial documentation of Gauguin’s sustained experimentation with media in the closing years of the nineteenth century.