The Mermaid and the Monkey

Art Historical Context

In the Prints collection of the National Gallery of, Paul Gauguin's *The Mermaid and the Monkey*ivates visitors as a rare color woodcut on delicate japan paper, part of the esteemed Rosenwald Collection in Department CG-E. Created between 1826 and 1850, this work exemplifies Gauguin's forays into printmaking, where he drew inspiration from Japanese ukiyo-e traditions. The thin, absorbent japan paper enhances the vibrancy of the layered colors, allowing bold, flat areas of hue to evoke a dreamlike, otherworldly quality typical of his Post-Impressionist style. Gauguin, a Symbolist and Primitivi...

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 ...