Portrait of Stéphane Mallarmé 1891

Paul Gauguin made this drawing of Stéphane Mallarmé with ink on paper. We can see how it engages with the social and cultural values of nineteenth-century France. Gauguin's caricature of the Symbolist poet can be seen as a comment on the artistic institutions of his time. Notice the unusual inclusion of the bird-like figure looming over Mallarmé's head, which perhaps hints at the darker and more irrational elements of the poet's work. The relatively informal medium and deliberately unfinished style is a challenge to the traditional notion of portraiture as an idealized depiction of the sitter. To fully understand the complex dynamic between these two figures we might research their personal correspondence, accounts of the artistic circles to which they belonged, and critical responses to their work. By exploring these resources we can come to appreciate how artists and poets negotiate the social and institutional conditions of their time.