Provenance
Francisco "Paco" Durrio (1868-1940), Paris [letter from Carl Schniewind to Jean Goriany of November 10, 1949 in curatorial file]. Sold by the Albert Roullier Gallery, Chicago, to the Art Institute, 1949.
Tahitian Eve (related to the painting Parau ne te varua ino) (recto); Fragment of Inscription (related to Cahier pour Aline) (verso)
1891/93
Accession Number
113440
Medium
Pen and brownish-black ink (originally dark purple), over pen and brown ink (originally purple) (recto) and graphite (verso) on cream wove paper (discolored to tan) (removed from a sketchbook)
Dimensions
22.5 × 7.3 cm (8 7/8 × 2 7/8 in.)
Classification
drawings (visual works)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Potter Palmer
Background & Context
Background Story
Paul Gauguin's double-sided drawing Tahitian Eve (recto) and Fragment of Inscription (verso) (1891/93) is a pen and ink drawing with graphite on cream wove paper. The recto shows a Tahitian Eve, a recurrent figure in Gauguin's work representing the Polynesian version of the biblical Eve. The verso contains a fragment of an inscription. The pen and ink technique is expressive, the figure rendered with simplified, flowing lines.
Cultural Impact
Gauguin's Tahitian Eves blend Christian and Polynesian mythology, creating a new mythology for his South Pacific world.
Why It Matters
This drawing of a Tahitian Eve shows Gauguin's fusion of Christian and Polynesian themes.
