Fascinated by Tohotaua's appearance, Gauguin had the young woman sit as model a second time. In what his perhaps his loveliest and most mysterious painting, Contes Barbares from 1902, she gazes at us once again: we recognize her in the figure kneeing in the foreground with the red-orange luminous hair. The figure on the left edge of the picture is a portrait of a young man who had already served as model for Gauguin's Marquisian à la cape rouge (Musée des Beaux Arts, Liege). Past and present meet in this painting imbued with the painter's clearly discernable death wish. Pointing to the past is especially the depiction of his friend Jacob Meyer de Haan, who had died in 1895 and who he had met in 1889 in La Pouldu in Brittany, where Gauguin had painted a portrait of him with the strange title of Nirvana. 13 years later Gauguin re-used this diabolic-looking image of his friend in the middle of a South Sea landscape. White tufts of smoke seem like departing clouds after a cleansing shower, fruit like sacrificial offerings, and the lilies are ancient symbols for a simultaneous announcement of life and death.
In October 1903, five of Gauguin's paintings arrived in Hagen, among them the Contes Barbares. In his letter of reception, Osthaus complained about the high price. Ambroise Vollard, Gauguin's long-serving art dealer pointed out that he had not been able to keep to the previous summer’s price, as the artist had died in the meantime. So, Karl Ernst Osthaus initially hesitated in 1904 to acquire this important work together with others by the French artist.
- Title: Contes barbares (Barbarian Tales)
- Creator: Paul Gauguin
- Creator Lifespan: 1848/1903
- Date: 1902
- Provenance: Acquired in 1903/04 for the Museum Folkwang, Hagen, since 1922 Essen
- Type: Painting
- Rights: © Museum Folkwang
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Höhe: 131.5 cm
- Collection: Painting, Sculpture, Media Art
- Breite: 90.5 cm
DecorArts is a professional wall art company located in California.
Each of our prints is proudly designed and constructed in the USA, right in our workshop. We are dedicated to delivering the finest quality, craftsmanship, and customer service with each and every order. With giclée printing technology, we are able to provide the best possible quality for the reproduction of fine art masterpieces as well as your personal photos. Our prints capture the subtlest of colors and contrasts, while retaining superb image sharpness.
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We also offer a wide selection of iconic classic paintings -- from Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper to Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night to Hokusai’s The Great Wave of Kanagawa -- all stunningly reproduced with giclée printing technology. Browse our gallery of curated masterpieces, where you’re sure to find your favorites or discover just the right one for your home, office, gift recipient, etc. Have an inquiry? Need some suggestions? Shoot us a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
Giclée Quality Guarantee:
Giclée printing is meant to produce a product at a higher quality and longer lifespan than a standard desktop inkjet printer. The word was used to describe digital reproductions of conventional artworks (painting or drawing) or photographs.
There are at least three basic criteria which must be met in order for the print to be considered a true giclée...
- For giclée printing, the paper or substrate used to actually print the final piece must be acid free and consist of a 100% cotton base.
- Any image that is to be printed as a giclée needs to be created at a resolution of no less than 300 dots per inch (DPI). This is to ensure that the final print has the sharpest detail and lacks any of the fragmentation that can occur with images less than 300 DPI.
- The last step to creating or confirming a true giclée print is the type of ink and printer used. The biggest contrast between a standard inkjet print and a giclée print is that giclées are printed using pigment-based inks rather than the dye-based inks found in lower cost inkjets. Pigment-based inks have a longer life span that can last anywhere from 100 to 200 years without significant fading.
The Quality :
The quality of the giclée print rivals traditional silver halide and gelatin printing processes and is commonly found in museums, art galleries, and photographic galleries.
With Giclée printing technology, we are able to provide the best possible quality for the reproduction of fine art masterpieces as well as your personal photos. Our prints capture the subtlest of colors and contrasts, while retaining superb image sharpness.
- We use real wood (non-MDF) for our canvas stretcher bars
- The canvas depth of of each dimension will be 1.5" thick
All of our canvas prints are gallery wrapped. Your image will be visible in full on the front side of the canvas while the outer edges are either artistically extended or mirrored to wrap over the wood stretcher bars on all sides. Our canvases are hand-stretched over solid wood stretcher bars.
Our canvas art works arrive ready to hang right out the box! We will affix a sturdy sawtooth hanger to the back of your canvas and include in your package: two screws, two nails, a pair of gloves, and a gradienter (small water level to ensure art is hung straight).
Framed:
Our framed arts are specially designed for both classic art and personalized artwork. Choose from a variety of frames for the perfect one to suit the style of your home.
- Mounted on back flannel so as not to scuff your walls
- Artwork arrives READY TO HANG. Hanging accessories come complimentary
Our frames are specifically chosen to complement each artwork. However, we will gladly accommodate if you'd prefer a different frame. Contact us at customerservice@decorarts.com for inquiries.
