Nave Nave Fenua (Fragrant Isle)
1894
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1894
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see two women in a bright green forest, their bodies curved like the trees around them. The colors are flat and bold—pink earth, blue water, red leaves—with no shadows to make things look real. Gauguin carved this image into wood, leaving rough marks that look like ancient carvings. He made it after leaving France for Tahiti, where he wanted to escape European art rules. The title means "Fragrant Isle," but the scene feels more like a dream than a real place. Look up *impasto* to see how other artists built thick paint like Gauguin built texture here.
