Landscape with black pigs and a crouching Tahitian 1891

Paul Gauguin made this painting, Landscape with Black Pigs and a Crouching Tahitian, using oil paints. It is the oil paint that gives this painting its dreamlike appearance. Gauguin built up the image using the oil paint’s inherent qualities of color and texture to full effect. Look at the way he used short brushstrokes to create a sense of movement in the landscape. This helps to convey his ideas and interpretations of the world. We can see the labor involved in the production process. This work shows a specific engagement with the social context of Tahiti. Gauguin was looking for a simpler way of life, far from the industrialization and consumerism of Europe. He seems to have believed that he could escape capitalism in Tahiti, but this wasn’t really possible, as he was still dependent on the market for his materials and for the sale of his artworks. By considering the materials, the making, and the context, we can deepen our understanding of Gauguin's work and its place in the history of art.