The Universe Is Created

Created during Gauguin's first trip to Tahiti (1891-1893), this vibrant woodcut reflects his fascination with Polynesian creation myths and spiritual beliefs. The title directly references indigenous cosmology, part of Gauguin's larger artistic project to document and interpret Tahitian culture through his unique Symbolist lens. This print belongs to the Noa Noa series, which accompanied his memoir of the same name describing his Tahitian experiences. Gauguin was an innovative printmaker who elevated woodcut to a fine art form, using bold colors and simplified forms that broke from European traditions. The work exemplifies his Synthetist style—flat areas of color, strong outlines, and symbolic rather than realistic representation—that he had developed in Brittany and refined in the South Pacific.

By 1893, Gauguin had turned away from Impressionism entirely, seeking what he called 'the primitive' in Tahitian culture as an escape from Western civilization. His approach combined observed Polynesian life with his own invented mythology, creating works that were neither documentary nor purely imaginative. The woodcut medium allowed him to work with the raw, direct quality he admired in non-Western art forms. This print demonstrates his experimental use of color woodcut techniques, with multiple blocks creating layers of vivid hues that evoke the tropical landscape and spiritual intensity he associated with Tahiti. The work would influence later artists including the German Expressionists, who adopted his bold approach to printmaking.