Volpini Suite: Human Misery (Misères Humaines)

Volpini Suite: Human Misery (Misères Humaines) is a highly significant zincograph created by Paul Gauguin in 1889. This striking print belongs to a rare set of eleven works known collectively as the Volpini Suite, which Gauguin produced specifically for his independent exhibition held adjacent to the 1889 Paris Exposition Universelle. Gauguin utilized this exhibition to signal his definitive break from Impressionism and move toward Synthetism, favoring simplified, symbolic forms over naturalistic representation. The artwork’s classification as a fine art print highlights Gauguin's innovative approach to graphic media during this crucial period in France, just before the full flourishing of Symbolism.

Gauguin's choice of the zincograph medium allowed him to explore graphic intensity, contrasting heavy areas of black with white space to enhance the sense of sorrow and isolation inherent in the title, Misères Humaines. The composition itself reflects the artist’s engagement with themes of poverty and suffering often overlooked by official academic art. Unlike traditional, refined lithography, the rough and somewhat crude nature of the etched zinc plate contributes to the raw, almost woodcut-like aesthetic of these prints. Gauguin’s technique employs deep shadows and stark lines, anticipating the simplified, expressive forms that would soon define his work in the South Pacific.

The entire Volpini Suite, though initially met with limited commercial success, is now recognized as foundational to the early development of modern graphic arts. These prints remain crucial documents of Gauguin’s artistic evolution before his permanent departure from Europe. This impression of Human Misery is an important example of French graphic art from the late 19th century and is held in the distinguished collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.