1892
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Parau No Te Varau Ino (left); Tahitian Legend (right) is a 1892 ink by Paul Gauguin, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows two scenes side by side. On the left, a woman stands barefoot in a simple pose, her body outlined with loose, confident lines. Her hair is pulled back, and she holds her hands in front of her. On the right, a man lies on his back in a boat, reaching toward a woman who floats nearby—her hair swirls around her like a halo. The left image looks like a quiet study of a person, while the right feels like a story pulled from water and myth. The artist used ink and chalk to create texture, almost like a sketchbook page torn out and framed. Next, check out the technique: cross-hatching to see how artists build shadows with lines.
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; French: ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements.
See the richer artist page
![Tahitian Shore [recto]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/d19dfa11db6e6101/thumb.webp)
