A Farm in Brittany by Paul Gauguin

A Farm in Brittany

Paul Gauguin · 1894

Scroll

“Stop to appreciate the serene, almost otherworldly depiction of a Breton farm, where Paul Gauguin uses bold color and visible brushwork to transform a simple scene into something profoundly evocative.”

ABOUT THIS WORK

This painting, "A Farm in Brittany," captures a moment of quiet rural life, bathed in a soft, almost ethereal light. The scene is dominated by a cluster of traditional Breton buildings, their stone walls and thatched roofs rendered with a sense of solidity, yet also a dreamlike quality. Notice the deep blues and greens that saturate the landscape, creating a sense of harmony between the structures and their natural surroundings. The brushstrokes are visible, contributing to the painting's textured surface and giving a vibrant energy to the otherwise tranquil setting. The work, created around 1894, reflects a fascination with the simplicity and perceived authenticity of life in the French countryside, a theme that resonated with artists seeking alternatives to urban modernity. It offers a glimpse into a world that feels both grounded and subtly stylized, characteristic of the period's artistic explorations.

DETAILS
Artist
Paul Gauguin
Date
1894
Medium
Oil on canvas
Location
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Dimensions
28 1/2 x 35 5/8 in. (72.4 x 90.5 cm)
Collection
European Paintings
Credit line
Bequest of Margaret Seligman Lewisohn, in memory of her husband, Sam A. Lewisohn, 1954
ART MOVEMENTS
LOOK CLOSER

What to Notice

Five details hide in plain sight. Pick one and we’ll show you exactly where to look.

A Farm in Brittany

← → step through · Esc to close
5 details are marked · pick a number
01

The round yellow tree

The puffy, mustard-gold tree in the right foreground looks almost like a cushion. Its flat, simplified shape pulls the eye first.

1 of 5 on the painting
02

Hot red fields

Behind the poplars the hills glow in pink and vermilion, colors a real field would rarely show. The saturated reds suggest color was chosen for effect, not copied from nature.

2 of 5 on the painting
03

Row of slim poplars

Tall yellow-green poplars rise in a rhythm along the left, answering the heavy trees on the right and leading the eye upward.

3 of 5 on the painting
04

Red-tiled farm roofs

The warm brick-red roofs and pale stone walls anchor the scene. Their flat, blocky planes pick up the reds in the hills behind.

4 of 5 on the painting
05

Thin chimney smoke

Between the roofs, a small wisp of smoke seems to rise from a chimney. It is a quiet sign of life in an otherwise still farm.

5 of 5 on the painting
AUDIO DEEP DIVE

Stand in front of it and listen

The full narration walks you through A Farm in Brittany — the story behind it, the details most visitors miss, and why it matters. Free in the Art Whisper app.

0:00Preview · 0:30Free preview · 0:30 Hear the full story in the app
THE ARTIST

Paul Gauguin

1848–1903 · France

Paul Gauguin, the French Post-Impressionist, abandoned a stockbroker's life for art, famously seeking 'refuge from Western civilization' in Tahiti.

Read Gauguin’s full story
MORE FROM THIS ARTIST

Further Works by Gauguin

1 / 2
EXPLORE THE MOVEMENT

More from Symbolism

1 / 1
KEEP EXPLORING

More works to explore

Beyond Gauguin and Symbolism: works from the same years, and from the other movements A Farm in Brittany belongs to.

Equestrienne (At the Cirque Fernando) Same movement · Post-Impressionism Equestrienne (At the Cirque Fernando) Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec · 1887 · Art Institute of Chicago A Woman Walking in a Garden Same era · 1870s–1900s A Woman Walking in a Garden Vincent van Gogh · 1887 · Frans Buffa & sons Carmelina Same movement · Post-Impressionism Carmelina Henri Matisse · 1903 · Museum of Fine Arts Boston Still Life with Crayfish Same era · 1870s–1900s Still Life with Crayfish Mikhail Larionov · 1900 · Museum Ludwig The Old Guitarist Same movement · Post-Impressionism The Old Guitarist Pablo Picasso · 1903 · Art Institute of Chicago A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884 Same era · 1870s–1900s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884 Okada Saburosuke · 1884 · Art Institute of Chicago After the Bullfight Same movement · Impressionism After the Bullfight Mary Cassatt · 1873 · Art Institute of Chicago Madame Léon Clapisson Same era · 1870s–1900s Madame Léon Clapisson Léon-Victor Dupré · 1883 · Art Institute of Chicago
Hear A Farm in Brittany’s storyFree in the Art Whisper app Open