Paul Gauguin Tahitian Women Essay

Painted in 1891 by Paul Gauguin, “Tahitian Women” (also known as “Tahitian Women on the Beach”) is very popular oil on canvas painting. It features both bold vibrant colors, as well as many subdued tones. Other notable aspects of this painting include its visual texture, the people portrayed, and the overall subject matter. Although there may be some story behind this artwork, it is up to the viewer to decide what they believe the piece is about. Focusing on the colors, it is obvious that some things are meant to stand out more than others. For example, the two women sitting in the sand are painted with much brighter, vibrant colors than the background. Even the smaller items in the foreground are painted in lighter colors to draw attention to them. The background is mainly composed of very dark subdued colors including black, dark …show more content…
The girl in the purple dress has her sleeves partially rolled up and is fiddling with some sort of grass, seemingly weaving it. There is quite a distinctive texture about this piece. The artist’s brush strokes are visible throughout the whole painting, especially on the left woman’s arm and in the background. This gives the painting an added dimension, it makes all the details seem to stand out more. Some more details that really stand are the sheen in the women's’ hair and the bows tying their hair back; the shine on their hair suggests that the moon is out above them and the bows give them an even more child-like appearance. Today the painting is the located in Paris, France at the Musee d’Orsay museum. Gauguin did several other similar paintings including “Two Women of Tahiti” and “Two Tahitian Women”, the first being the most similar. Overall the painting can be described as very calm and timeless; this piece has been around for more than a hundred years and is a