Woodcut with a Horned Head

Woodcut with a Horned Head by Paul Gauguin, executed between 1898 and 1899, is a significant and evocative example of the artist’s late graphic output. This specific impression was created using the demanding woodcut technique on a sheet of delicate, transparent laid tissue paper, lending the resulting image a unique luminosity and slightly blurred quality characteristic of the medium. The work is maintained in the comprehensive collection of prints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Gauguin utilized the inherent coarseness of the wood block as a primary design element, relying on broad, deeply incised lines that emphasize powerful contrasts of dark and light. The composition features a haunting, central visage—the titular horned head—which often incorporated symbolic motifs blurring the lines between mythological deity, self-portraiture, and stylized Tahitian (Mā’ohi) figures. Gauguin’s time in the Pacific profoundly influenced the piece’s non-European iconography.

Surrounding the main face, the dense collection of forms includes the stylized depiction of birds and small reptiles, specifically lizards, which collectively imbue the scene with a primal, deeply symbolic sensibility. This woodcut series demonstrates Gauguin's commitment to expressive prints and his pivotal role in Post-Impressionism. While the original resides at The Met, high-resolution images of this work, like many of Gauguin's finest prints, are widely accessible through public domain art initiatives, facilitating scholarly study of his innovative graphic art techniques.