The Call
1902
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1902
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Two women stand on a patch of red earth, one pointing toward something we can’t see. Their feet are bare, their dresses simple, and the background glows with flat, bright colors. Gauguin painted this on a tiny island in the Pacific, far from France. He was sick and near the end of his life, but the scene feels dreamy, not sad. The "call" might be death—or something bigger he couldn’t name. If you like this quiet mystery, look up *impasto*—the thick, textured brushwork that makes his colors feel alive.
