Breton Women by a Gate, from the Volpini Suite

Art Historical Context

**Breton Women by a Gate, from the Volpini** Paul Gauguin, 1889 Zincograph in black on chrome yellow w paper Art Institute of Chicago, Prints and Drawings Department Step into the rustic charm of late 19th-century Brittany with Paul Gauguin's *Breton Women by a*, a captivating zincograph from his innovative Volpini Suite. in 1889 amid the buzz of Paris's Exposition Universelle, this print two women in traditional attire framed by a weathered gate, evoking the simplicity and mystery of rural life. Gauguin, a pioneering Post-Impressionist and Symbolist, drew from his time in Pont-Aven, Brittany, where he embraced bold colors, flattened forms, and a spiritual connection to the "primitive" folk traditions—foreshadowing his later Tahitian works. The zincograph technique, a form of lithography using lightweight zinc plates, allowed Gauguin to produce affordable multiples outside elite printing houses. Printed in stark black ink on vibrant chrome yellow wove paper, it highlights his experimental printmaking, blending painterly expressiveness with graphic precision. Part of the 11-print Volpini Suite—named after the café where they were sold—this piece reflects Gauguin's push against academic norms, making art accessible while exploring cultural authenticity. This intimate work (image: 17 × 21.5 cm) invites visitors to ponder Gauguin's quest for an idealized, otherworldly Brittany, bridging fine art and popular media in a pivotal moment of modern print history. A gem for print enthusiasts! (198 words)

About the Artist

Paul Gauguin · 1848–1903

Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) was a French Post-Impressionist painter whose bold experiments with color, form, and subject matter made him one of the most influential figures in the transition from 19th-century art to modernism. His rejection of European civilization for the perceived authenticity of 'primitive' cultures established an archetype of artistic exile that continues to resonate. Gauguin's ...