Church Tower; A Sketch of a Fan [recto] 1884 - 1888

Editor: This is "Church Tower; A Sketch of a Fan" by Paul Gauguin, dating from 1884 to 1888. It appears to be a pencil sketch on toned paper, divided into two sections. It's very subtle, almost ghostly in its rendering. What sort of images and feelings rise to the surface when you look at it? Curator: The ghostly quality you note is intriguing. The church tower, isolated, often symbolizes spiritual aspiration, but also the weight of tradition, the institution itself. Juxtapose that with the suggestion of a fan – an object often associated with social rituals, courtship, secrets. Doesn't this positioning speak to a possible tension? The spiritual versus the societal? Gauguin may be reflecting on societal expectations, which he notably defied later in life. Editor: That's a really interesting reading! I hadn't thought about the contrast between those two elements in that way. Do you see any connections between the style of the sketch and its potential meaning? Curator: Absolutely. The sketch-like quality suggests something fleeting, transient. Are these ideas just forming in Gauguin's mind? He is reaching towards those two key forms without fully defining them. The roughness of the lines underscores the searching, questioning nature of the drawing, as if he is grappling with his own identity. He isn't committing to the answers just yet, and you see this clearly through his use of underpainting and the visible aged nature of the work. What do you feel after seeing that cultural aspect present? Editor: It makes it feel much more personal. Like glimpsing a private thought process. I came in thinking this was just a quick sketch, but now it feels like a visual diary. Curator: Exactly! Perhaps even Gauguin’s spiritual journal of becoming and being! We've traveled into a deeper comprehension by letting the work's visual language speak.