A Bearded Man and a Man in Profile [verso] 1884 - 1888

Paul Gauguin made this sketch of two men with graphite on paper. Gauguin, a leading figure in the Post-Impressionist movement, often explored themes of identity and spirituality in his work, frequently drawing on his experiences outside of Europe. The figures here are rendered with a simplicity that belies the complexity of Gauguin’s world. We see a bearded man under what appears to be a hat and another man in profile. What might these figures have represented for Gauguin? Were they studies of acquaintances, or perhaps more symbolic figures conjured from his imagination? In Tahiti he searched for a world untouched by European influences, although his presence, like that of other colonizers, inevitably altered the landscape and culture. The artist noted "I shut my eyes in order to see". His words encapsulate a desire to access a realm of pure, unadulterated vision, beyond the constraints of the conscious mind. This reminds us that identity is a process of seeing and being seen, of shaping oneself in relation to the world.