Running head: EVOLUTIION OF GAUGUIN’S FEMALE PORTRAITS 1
Evolution of Gauguin’s Female Portraits
Nicholas Evangelista
State College of Florida
Intro to History of Art II
August 7th, 2017
EVOLUTION OF GAUGUIN’S FEMALE PORTRAITS 2
Abstract
Gauguin’s artistic evolution includes various styles, starting from impressionism, moving to
symbolism, and culminating in primitivism. This research attempts to study evolution of his style
using Gauguin’s female portraits from different time periods. Through comparative approach, this
paper will discuss how his style and painting techniques evolved and what inspired the change.
Changes in content and his approach towards art will also be addressed. All of that will be
accomplished by comparing three sets of Gauguin’s female–centered paintings namely (Mette
Asleep on a Sofa vs. The Spirit of the Dead Watching, The Study of the Nude vs. Tahitian Women
Bathing, and Arearea I vs. Breton Peasants vs. Tahitian Pastorale), which come from pre-Tahitian
and Tahitian periods.
EVOLUTION OF GAUGUIN’S FEMALE PORTRAITS 3
Brief Historical Overview
Understanding Paul Gauguin’s importance requires a detailed overview of the European
culture of that period. Born in 1848 to a French-Peruvian mother, he spent his early childhood in
Lima, thus developing a certain interest in native cultures. Sometime after moving to Europe, he
started studying art from a well-known painter, Pissarro (Britannica). Europe of that period can
be characterized by industrial growth, with cities developing and industrial scenery extending
into smaller towns and villages. This was the time when technological development boosted
nationalism, which strengthened the desire of the European countries to colonize the world (Chu,
2003). While the French government was very eager to strengthen its imperial power, public was
quite uninterested in colonial ventures. In order to spur interest among people, in 1889 Universal
Exposition was organized, which brought together art works from various colonies. While this
exposition didn’t really change the public’s interest towards colonial goals, it significantly
influenced the European artists, including Paul Gauguin (Brooks, 2013). Gauguin has always
been repelled by industrialism and has been searching for rural scenery (Met Museum). For his
first trip he went to rural Brittany. According to Daniel de Monfried, “he hoped to find a
different atmosphere from our exaggeratedly civilized society in what, he thought, was a country
with archaic customers. He wanted his works to return to primitive art.” (Solomon-Godeau,
1989). This search finally brought him to Tahiti, where Gauguin transformed as an artist and
really perfected the style known as primitivism. Comparative study of Gauguin’s female
paintings shows that as the influence of rural landscapes increases, his work acquires more
freedom, which is evident in composition and style. To study Gauguin’s evolution, several
female-centered paintings from different periods will be compared and analyzed.
EVOLUTION OF GAUGUIN’S FEMALE PORTRAITS 4
Mette Asleep on a Sofa vs. The Spirit of the Dead Watching
First, we will compare Mette Asleep on a Sofa (1875) and The Spirit of the Dead
Watching (1892). In this period artists started diverging from realistic paintings and adopted
short and rough brushstrokes and unfinished look, which defined Impressionism (Met Museum).
Previously, women were depicted mainly indoors, seated properly, doing housework; however,
these conventions were challenged and females were depicted doing leisure activities (Mirza,
2001). All of this is reflected in Gauguin’s Mette Asleep on a Sofa (fig. 1), where Mette is lying
on a chaise longue, enjoying her sleep. Lack of indoor details places entire emphasis on this
sleeping woman. Despite of introducing more freedom in her pose, this painting still looks
staged, with everything organized very neatly. Gauguin’s use of brushstroke is remarkable.
