Seated Tahitian Woman (recto), Sketches of Roosters and Chickens (verso) 1891 - 1893

Paul Gauguin made this pencil sketch of a seated Tahitian woman during one of his trips to the South Pacific. The drawing is on wove paper, made from wood pulp rather than cotton rag, a relatively new industrial product at the time. Gauguin has massed the pencil strokes to model the woman's form, using the side of the lead to create broad areas of tone. The marks create a powerful sense of volume with relatively little labor, and evoke the sitter’s quiet dignity. We see the material and social conditions of Tahiti, and the artist’s gaze, which was inevitably inflected by colonialism. Ultimately, the drawing invites questions about the artist's working methods, and the relationship between the artist, his materials, and his subject. It is a reminder that all art is made, and that the conditions of its making always matter.