No te aha oe riri (Why Are You Angry?)

1896

In this canvas, women of varying ages appear to go about daily life within a colorful, stylized outdoor environment. Like much of Gauguin's work, the composition combines observed detail with artistic fantasy to create a dreamlike scene that resists simple interpretation. Its deliberately provocative title enhances this effect, leaving us to wonder if the “you” refers to someone in the painting or to the viewer.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

Paul Gauguin (French, 1848–1903)

Date

1896

Medium

Oil on jute canvas

Dimensions

95.3 × 130.6 cm (37 1/2 × 51 3/8 in.); Framed: 116.6 × 153.1 × 6.7 cm (45 7/8 × 60 1/4 × 2 5/8 in.)

Origin

France

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection