Gauguin’s Prints Are Sexy, Too
Tuesday, March 04, 2014
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Paul Gauguin (French, 1848–1903). Tahitian Woman with Evil Spirit, recto. c. 1900. (Private collection. Courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art)
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French painter Paul Gauguin quit his stockbroker’s job and left
his wife and five children to move to the South Pacific island of
Tahiti. There, in the 1890s, he did his famous, lush paintings of local
women.
Recently, he has been criticized as a chauvinist who romanticized the hard life of the natives. Now a new show at the Museum of Modern Art highlights his rarely-seen woodblock prints and woodcarvings.
WNYC's art critic Deborah Solomon says it's the best show she has ever seen at MoMA, because it shows a very powerful side of the post-impressionist artist we haven't seen before.
"When you look at his ceramics, they look like they came out of a volcano. When you look at his woodcarvings, they look like they climbed out of a tree. The work is incredibly earthy," she said. "And for me, it really re-invented Gauguin as an artist who was desperate to articulate his vision."
Paul Gauguin, Maruru (Offerings of Gratitude) from the suite Noa Noa (Fragrant Scent). 1893-94. Woodcut. (Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Mass. Photo by Michael Agee © Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts)
Paul Gauguin, Tahitian Idol. 1894-95. Woodcut. (Private collection, USA)
Recently, he has been criticized as a chauvinist who romanticized the hard life of the natives. Now a new show at the Museum of Modern Art highlights his rarely-seen woodblock prints and woodcarvings.
WNYC's art critic Deborah Solomon says it's the best show she has ever seen at MoMA, because it shows a very powerful side of the post-impressionist artist we haven't seen before.
"When you look at his ceramics, they look like they came out of a volcano. When you look at his woodcarvings, they look like they climbed out of a tree. The work is incredibly earthy," she said. "And for me, it really re-invented Gauguin as an artist who was desperate to articulate his vision."
Paul Gauguin, Maruru (Offerings of Gratitude) from the suite Noa Noa (Fragrant Scent). 1893-94. Woodcut. (Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Mass. Photo by Michael Agee © Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts)
Paul Gauguin, Tahitian Idol. 1894-95. Woodcut. (Private collection, USA)
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Deborah SolomonHosted by:
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Gisele Regatao, Senior Editor, Culture, WNYC News
Gisele Regatao is the Senior Editor for Culture for WNYC News, where she reports, edits and curates features, news and criticism across the creative arts and the sweeping intellectual terrain that make New York one of the most fascinating places in the universe.
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