Manao Tupapau (She is Haunted by a Spirit)
1894, printed 1921
Medium
woodcut on China paper
Dimensions
image: 20.5 × 35.5 cm (8 1/16 × 14 in.) sheet: 27 × 42.2 cm (10 5/8 × 16 5/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1944.2.25.5
Art Historical Context
**Manao Tupapau (She is Haunted by a Spirit is a striking woodcut by Paul Gauin, created in 1894 during his transformative stay in Tahiti and printed posthumously in 1921. Gauguin, a leading Post-Impressionist and Symbolist, drew inspiration from Polynesian culture, infusing his works with exoticism, spirituality, and bold colors—though this print emphasizes dramatic black-and-white contrasts. The title, translating to "The Spirit of Dead Keeps Watch," evokes haunting Tahitian legend of ancestral spirits visiting the living, reflecting Gauguin's fascination with indigenous myths and his critiq...
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 ...