“Stop and observe the captivating gaze of this Caribbean woman, whose serene expression and direct look draw you into a moment of quiet contemplation. The artist's focus on her face, framed by a simple head covering, creates a powerful, intimate portrait.”
A woman with dark skin and dark hair gazes directly out at us, her head tilted slightly, a subtle smile playing on her lips. Her face is framed by a simple white head covering, and she wears a rich blue garment that drapes loosely around her shoulders. The background is a soft, undefined blend of warm yellows and oranges, creating a halo effect behind her head. This portrait, painted on cardboard, captures a moment of quiet dignity and introspection, the brushstrokes visible and contributing to the texture of her skin and clothing. The simplicity of the composition focuses all attention on the sitter's expression, inviting a connection with her serene presence.
- Artist
- Paul Gauguin
- Date
- 1889
- Medium
- Oil on cardboard
- Location
- Yoshino Gypsum
What to Notice
Five details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.
The visible brushstrokes that give texture to the woman's skin and clothing.
The subtle, almost Mona Lisa-like smile on her lips.
The way the white head covering frames her face.
The warm, blended background colors that create a soft glow around her.
1 more detail is waiting.
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Paul Gauguin
1848–1903 · FrancePaul Gauguin, the French Post-Impressionist, abandoned a stockbroker's life for art, famously seeking 'refuge from Western civilization' in Tahiti.
Further Works by Gauguin
The Seine at Pont de Grenelle
1875 · Wallraf–Richartz Museum
Still Life: Wood Tankard and Metal Pitcher
1880 · Art Institute of Chicago
The Little One Is Dreaming, Etude
1881 · Ordrupgaard
An Orchard under the Church of Bihorel
1884 · Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
Blue roofs of Rouen
1884 · Museum collection Am Römerholz
Evening Primroses in a Vase
1885
Fruit
1886
Stil life with white vase
1886 · Kunsthaus Zürich
More from Symbolism
More works to explore
Beyond Gauguin and Symbolism: works from the same years, and from the other movements Caribbean Woman belongs to.
Same movement · Post-Impressionism
Equestrienne (At the Cirque Fernando)
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec · 1887 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1870s–1900s
A Woman Walking in a Garden
Vincent van Gogh · 1887 · Frans Buffa & sons
Same movement · Post-Impressionism
Carmelina
Henri Matisse · 1903 · Museum of Fine Arts Boston
Same era · 1870s–1900s
A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884
Okada Saburosuke · 1884 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same movement · Post-Impressionism
The Old Guitarist
Pablo Picasso · 1903 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Madame Léon Clapisson
Léon-Victor Dupré · 1883 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same movement · Impressionism
After the Bullfight
Mary Cassatt · 1873 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Still Life with Crayfish
Mikhail Larionov · 1900 · Museum Ludwig
Same movement · Impressionism
A Turn in the Road
Alfred Sisley · 1873 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Paris Street; Rainy Day
Kawabata Gyokushō · 1877 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same movement · Post-Impressionism
Gustave Boyer (b. 1840) in a Straw Hat
Paul Cézanne · 1870 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Woman in the Garden of Monsieur Forest
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec · 1889 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same movement · Impressionism
The Pink Dress (Albertie-Marguerite Carré, later Madame Ferdinand-Henri Himmes, 1854–1935)
Berthe Morisot · 1870 · Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Madame Cézanne (Hortense Fiquet, 1850–1922) in a Red Dress
Paul Cézanne · 1888 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same movement · Impressionism
The Beach at Sainte-Adresse
Claude Monet · 1867 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Stacks of Wheat (End of Day, Autumn)
Claude Monet · 1890 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same movement · Impressionism
The Banks of the Marne in Winter
Camille Pissarro · 1866 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Street in Moret
Alfred Sisley · 1890 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same movement · Impressionism
Alfred Sisley
Pierre-Auguste Renoir · 1864 · Foundation E.G. Bührle Collection
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Two Girls Reading in a Garden
Pierre-Auguste Renoir · 1890
Same movement · Impressionism
Beggar with Oysters (Philosopher)
Édouard Manet · 1864 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Young Girl with Hat
Berthe Morisot · 1891 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same movement · Impressionism
Young Spartan Girls Challenging Boys
Edgar Degas · 1860 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Cows Drinking at a Pool
William Hart · 1886 · Museum of Fine Arts Boston