Head of a Tahitian Woman

1891

Head of a Tahitian Woman, 1891. Paul Gauguin (French, 1848–1903). Graphite with stumping and graphite wash on parchment; sheet: 30.5 x 24.4 cm (12 x 9 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis B. Williams Collection 1949.439 This drawing belongs to a group of highly finished portrait drawings of Tahitians made by Paul Gauguin shortly after his arrival in the South Seas. While getting used to this new place, Gauguin initially avoided painting, preferring first to familiarize himself with the landscape and people through observation and drawing. The meticulous quality of this graphite study suggests that it was made from life. The woman’s noble face and enigmatic expression allude to the spirituality and melancholy that Gauguin sought to conjure in his Polynesian work. In his writings, Gauguin often referred to his drawings as "documents"—records of motifs and ideas he could use later.