Artwork
Te Atua (The Gods) Small Plate [recto]
![Te Atua (The Gods) Small Plate [recto], by Paul Gauguin, ink, 1895](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/paul-gauguin--te-atua-the-gods-small-plate-recto--4909df228154ae13-w1024.webp)
Te Atua (The Gods) Small Plate [recto] is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin. It dates from 1895 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1895, Te Atua (The Gods) Small Plate [recto] is a black‑ink woodcut printed on exceptionally thin Japanese paper and mounted face down. The French artist Paul Gauguin, active in the late nineteenth century, produced the work during his stay in Tahiti, where he explored themes drawn from Polynesian culture and mythology.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on an arched opening that frames a head, likely representing a deity, above a reclining figure. Surrounding this central scene are additional human forms in varied postures, suggesting a ritual gathering or mythic narrative. The arrangement conveys a hierarchical relationship between the divine presence and the participants below.
Technique & Style
Executed as a woodcut, the image relies on bold, carved lines and dense black shading to model volume and suggest texture. The thin Japan paper accentuates the delicacy of the surface while preserving the tactile quality of the hand‑cut matrix, a hallmark of Gauguin’s interest in non‑Western print traditions and his departure from Impressionist softness.
History & Provenance
The print was produced during Gauguin’s second Tahitian period, a time when he increasingly turned to printmaking to disseminate his ideas. It remains mounted face down, a common practice for preserving the fragile paper. Its later ownership history is not extensively documented, but it is catalogued among Gauguin’s printed oeuvre held by several museum collections.
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Artist & collection
Artist
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.
