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Delightful Land

1893–94
Not on view
In this print Gauguin reimagines the Biblical story of the Fall. Eve is now a native Tahitian woman, the Garden of Eden a lush tropical paradise, the devilish serpent a fantastical winged lizard, and the apple from the Tree of Knowledge an exotic flower from a peacock-like plant. The right-hand border of the print is patterned much like the carved house-posts that Gauguin encountered in Tahiti. Adding to the cultural mix, Gauguin based Eve's statuesque figure on photographs of sculpted frieze from a Javanese Buddhist temple. The composition derives from an earlier painting by the artist (1892; Ohara Museum of Art, Kurashiki, Japan) which he further reworked in a series of drawings and monotypes.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Delightful Land
  • Series/Portfolio: Noa Noa (Fragrance)
  • Artist: Paul Gauguin (French, Paris 1848–1903 Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands)
  • Date: 1893–94
  • Medium: Woodcut printed in color on thin wove paper
  • Dimensions: 13 7/8 x 8 in. (35.2 x 20.3 cm) block
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1936
  • Object Number: 36.6.5
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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Portfolio of facsimiles of works by Paul Gauguin, Berlin (Marees Gesellschaft), 1926
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Study for Maternité II, Paul Gauguin French, Graphite
Study for Maternité II
Paul Gauguin
1899
Noa Noa. Voyage de Tahiti
Paul Gauguin
Marées-Gesellschaft
1926
Le Sourire, Paul Gauguin French, Woodcut on china paper
Le Sourire
Paul Gauguin
1899
Manao Tupaupau (Spirit of the Dead Watching)
Paul Gauguin
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