Polynesian Woman with Children

1901

The figures in this work have never been identified. Their pose and other details, such as the woman’s gold ring and the red mark on the girl’s hand, invite speculation as to their relationship to each other and to Gauguin. Technical analysis has revealed that he reworked the position of the woman’s hands to align diagonally with those of the young girl. Together, they form an upward axis reinforced by the cat, also a later addition.

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

Artist

Paul Gauguin (French, 1848–1903)

Date

1901

Medium

Oil on linen canvas

Dimensions

97 × 74 cm (38 3/16 × 29 1/8 in.); Framed: 111.2 × 88.3 × 5.8 cm (43 3/4 × 34 3/4 × 2 1/4 in.)

Origin

France

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection