Bust of a Nude Woman and Three-Quarter Figure of a Man with a White Cap in Profile, Third Small Figure at Far Right, headpiece for Le sourire 1899 - 1900

Paul Gauguin created this woodcut, Bust of a Nude Woman and Three-Quarter Figure of a Man with a White Cap in Profile, headpiece for Le Sourire, during his time in French Polynesia. This image is striking for its rendering of the female nude and the male figure that towers behind her, based on the artist’s observations of Tahitian life at the end of the 19th century. Gauguin left France for Tahiti in search of a more ‘primitive’ culture, an artistic haven, free from the constraints of European civilization. The print was made for "Le Sourire", a satirical periodical that Gauguin produced in Tahiti to mock colonial society and the hypocrisy of European morality. By incorporating Tahitian motifs and subjects, Gauguin aimed to critique the exoticism that was fashionable in European art. The periodical form itself provided a platform for him to circulate his subversive ideas. Understanding Gauguin’s work necessitates exploring the legacy of colonialism. Art historians examine period documents such as colonial records, newspapers, and personal letters to better understand the cultural dynamics at play in Gauguin's art.