Emile Gauguin (1874–1955), the artist's son 1877 - 1878

Curator: What a striking image of youthful innocence. We're looking at Paul Gauguin's marble bust, "Emile Gauguin, the Artist's Son," crafted between 1877 and 1878. It's currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: It’s very cool. What stands out for me is the luminous quality of the marble, how it captures light and shadow to give the boy's face this remarkable sense of presence. The way his hair is sculpted is also pretty engaging. Curator: The marble, of course, gives it a certain timelessness, evoking classical sculptures of antiquity. But seeing this portrait through a familial lens, one can read something deeper into the representation. Emile appears composed, perhaps a bit melancholic. Is this how Gauguin perceived his young son? Editor: I am interested by what you say about his relationship to the classical ideal; I was seeing that so strongly in the formal symmetry, and the smooth, almost idealized skin. I guess you could describe it as realism, but also definitely a romantic vision. Curator: Well, there is undeniable intimacy, wouldn't you agree? Gauguin, as an artist and a father, immortalizing his son in stone. A kind of statement of familial legacy, or even… longing. Editor: Possibly, but is it more interesting to understand Gauguin's relationship with the form itself? How he engages with shape and material to make this child tangible and permanent. The emotion might be secondary to its design, to its composition, it certainly works well formally. Curator: An interesting point. By giving Emile the permanent medium of stone, there is both presence and perhaps an anxiety of impermanence on display, both the father and son frozen in time. Editor: Perhaps we find what we are looking for. It seems right that Gauguin could work at both a highly structured composition, and convey sentiment at the same time. A perfect compromise.