Provenance
Georges Daniel de Monfreid (1856-1929, Paris). Given by Mr. and Mrs. Morton G. Neumann to the Art Institute, 1966.
Accession Number
113718
Medium
black fabricated chalk and watercolor on cream wove paper (removed from a sketchbook)
Dimensions
31.3 × 20.1 cm (12 3/8 × 7 15/16 in.)
Classification
watercolor
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Morton G. Neumann
Background & Context
Background Story
Paul Gauguin's Sketches of Figures, Pandanus Leaf, and Vanilla Plant (1891/93) is a black fabricated chalk and watercolor drawing on cream wove paper from his Tahitian sketchbook. This sheet combines studies of human figures with botanical studies of pandanus and vanilla plants. Gauguin was an acute observer of the natural world of Tahiti, and his sketchbooks record both the people and the plants he encountered.
Cultural Impact
Gauguin's Tahitian sketchbooks document his observations of the natural and human world of the Pacific.
Why It Matters
This sketchbook page combines figure studies with botanical studies of pandanus and vanilla, showing Gauguin's range of observation.
