Geese; Girls in Bonnets, Geese [recto] 1884 - 1888

This pencil drawing was made by Paul Gauguin, probably in France, towards the end of the nineteenth century. On the left, we see studies of geese in different poses; on the right, girls in bonnets. The work gives us insight into the culture of academic artistic training at that time. In the 19th century, art academies encouraged students to hone their skills through meticulous observation and precise rendering of the natural world. Sketches like these were a way for artists to practice representing different textures, forms and light effects, and to master the anatomy of both animals and humans. Although Gauguin would later reject academic art in favour of a more subjective approach, this drawing reveals the traditional foundations upon which his later work was built. To understand the image better, we might look at academic drawing manuals and other student works from the period.