Woman with Figs

"Woman with Figs" by Paul Gauguin, executed in 1894, is a compelling example of the artist's sophisticated and experimental printmaking practice. The work utilizes a combination of etching, lavis (a technique designed to simulate washes), and soft-ground etching on a zinc plate. This complex, multi-process approach allowed Gauguin to achieve exceptional tonal variation and textural depth, rendering the image with a painterly quality rarely seen in contemporary intaglio prints. The impression is further distinguished by the artist’s atypical choice of green ink, which lends the scene a somber, brooding atmosphere.

The subject focuses on a solitary woman situated near clusters of figs, a fruit traditionally associated with fertility and temptation. While the figure’s stylized form reflects the artist’s enduring interest in non-Western, ‘primitive’ aesthetics, the arrangement and posture evoke a quiet psychological introspection characteristic of Gauguin’s European period following his first journey to Tahiti. The interplay between the figure, the symbolic fruit, and the deep shadows emphasizes the tension between natural representation and expressive symbolism central to Gauguin’s post-Impressionist vision.

This powerful example of Gauguin’s graphic output is currently housed in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The creation of complex prints such as Woman with Figs was integral to the artist’s strategy, allowing for wider circulation and engagement with his unique visual language than was possible through singular paintings. Because of its age and prominence, the imagery captured in this piece is frequently available in the public domain, allowing scholars and enthusiasts globally to study the detailed craftsmanship of Gauguin’s etchings.