Landscape and Head of Man; Head of Monkey Inside a Square [recto] 1884 - 1888

This sketch, by Paul Gauguin, uses graphite on paper. Gauguin's choice of humble materials allows us a glimpse into his working process. Here, we see the immediacy of the artist's hand. The graphite lines, quickly laid down, capture a landscape and two heads – one human, one perhaps a monkey. The very directness of the drawing collapses hierarchies between the fine arts and more straightforward forms of representation. It reduces art to its most essential elements: the artist's hand, the material, and the idea. The ephemeral nature of the graphite lends a sense of transience. It’s a medium easily smudged or erased, suggesting the fleeting nature of both the image and the artist's thought. The work involved in the production is minimal, a direct contrast to the complex symbolism of the images themselves. These simple materials, the work involved in the production process, and the way it captures a moment of artistic thought make this a fascinating work. It allows us to appreciate art as a process, not just a finished product.