The Siesta
ca. 1892–94
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
35 x 45 3/4 in. (88.9 x 116.2 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg Collection, Gift of Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg, 1993, Bequest of Walter H. Annenberg, 2002
Accession Number
1993.400.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
**The Siesta** (ca. 1892–94) by Paul Gauguin captures a serene moment of repose during the French Post-Impressionist's transformative stay in Tahiti. Fleeing the industrialization of Europe, Gauguin immersed himself in Polynesian culture from 1891 onward, painting idyllic scenes that blended reality with his romantic vision of a "primitive" paradise. This oil on canvas, measuring 35 x 45¾ inches, exemplifies his shift toward bold, flattened forms and vibrant colors, departing from Impressionism's fleeting light to emphasize symbolic harmony with nature. In the composition, Tahitian women rest...
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 ...