Head of a Tahitian Woman

About this work

A woman’s face fills the paper. Her dark eyes rest on you. Gauguin drew this in graphite on his first trip to Tahiti. The lines are sharp but soft. Her expression feels quiet and proud. This is one of many drawings he made before he started painting. He liked to study people closely. You can almost feel the calm around her. Look up Paul Gauguin (French, 1848–1903) to see more of his work.