Volpini Suite: Breton Women by a Gate (Bretonnes à la Barrière)

Volpini Suite: Breton Women by a Gate (Bretonnes à la Barrière) by Paul Gauguin, created in 1889, is a key zincograph that documents the artist’s pivotal shift toward Symbolism and Synthetism. Produced shortly after his productive period in Arles, this print belongs to the influential ‘Volpini Suite’ of eleven zincographs, which Gauguin displayed at the Café Volpini in Paris in the summer of 1889. The exhibition served as a manifesto, distancing Gauguin's simplified, graphic approach from the subtleties of Impressionism.

The artwork depicts two figures, the traditional Breton women of Northwestern France, standing near a rudimentary wooden gate. Gauguin utilized the zincograph technique, a form of planographic printing, to achieve dense, unmodulated fields of black and white. This medium allowed him to experiment with flatness and bold contour lines, reducing the forms to essential shapes characteristic of his burgeoning Synthetist style. The lack of detailed modeling and the stark contrast emphasize the decorative quality of the composition, prioritizing the subjective interpretation of the subject matter over purely realistic observation.

These graphic experiments were crucial to the development and dissemination of Gauguin’s aesthetic theories across France. Though the Volpini exhibition did not yield immediate commercial success, these prints profoundly influenced younger artists working in the Symbolist movement. As a vital artifact documenting the artist’s retreat to Primitivism, this work remains highly significant. This distinctive impression of Breton Women by a Gate (Bretonnes à la Barrière) is held within the esteemed prints collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, and its historical status ensures that reproductions of this influential work are frequently made available through public domain initiatives.