Women, Animals, and Foliage, from the Suite of Late Wood-Block Prints

"Women, Animals, and Foliage, from the Suite of Late Wood-Block Prints by Paul Gauguin French, 1848-1903, is a profound example of the artist's return to graphic arts near the end of his life. Created between 1898 and 1899, this work highlights Gauguin’s distinctive mastery of the wood-block print, a medium he heavily utilized to express his interest in Polynesian culture and Symbolist aesthetics. The specific materials-black ink on thin laid ivory Japanese paper, laid down on thin wove white Japanese paper-underscore his technical sophistication and his borrowing of techniques from Japanese ukiyo-e traditions in late 19th-century France.

The piece belongs to a series of late prints developed during Gauguin’s second period in Tahiti, reflecting his ongoing exploration of myth and the exotic. The composition features a dense, integrated arrangement of female figures, stylized animals, and enveloping tropical foliage. This juxtaposition creates a flattened, non-naturalistic scene characteristic of Post-Impressionist graphic works. Gauguin purposefully utilized the inherent roughness of the wood-block print to achieve raw, primal textures, emphasizing simplified forms and strong graphic contrast over detailed realism.

Classified as a significant print, this work reflects Gauguin’s enduring attempt to fuse Western artistic techniques with non-Western visual motifs and spiritualism. It is an essential study piece for understanding the Symbolist movement's influence on graphic arts and the development of the modern print in France. This historically important artwork is proudly held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. As one of the major graphic contributions of the era, the prints from this suite are frequently referenced in scholarship and are often made available through public domain initiatives worldwide.