Volpini Suite: Joys of Brittany (Joies de Bretagne)

Volpini Suite: Joys of Brittany (Joies de Bretagne) by Paul Gauguin is a crucial example of French prints dating from 1889. The piece utilizes the challenging medium of zincograph, a process similar to lithography where the artist draws directly onto a zinc plate rather than traditional limestone. This technique allowed Gauguin to experiment rapidly with graphic contrasts and simplified forms, aligning with his burgeoning synthetic style.

This work forms part of the influential Volpini Suite, a group of eleven prints that Gauguin exhibited anonymously at the Café des Arts in Paris during the Exposition Universelle of 1889. Known collectively as Épreuves du peintre (The Painter’s Proofs), the suite demonstrated Gauguin’s radical departure from Impressionist sensibilities. Instead of naturalistic representation, Gauguin employed broad fields of tone, flat patterning, and heavy outlines, techniques that would define his mature Symbolist output. The title Joies de Bretagne evokes the rural existence and spiritual atmosphere of Brittany, a setting where Gauguin spent considerable time developing his unique aesthetic.

As a printmaker, Gauguin used the zincograph to explore the expressive potential of black and white, deliberately emphasizing structure over descriptive detail. These experimental prints were foundational for subsequent generations of graphic artists in France. Due to their limited and private production, these early impressions are rare and offer invaluable insight into the experimental phase of the artist’s career. This important print is held in the comprehensive collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.