Eve ['The Nightmare']

If my work must be limited to watercolor, pastel, or anything else all the spirit goes out of it ... I have at this moment a series of experimental drawings that I'm fairly pleased with. I'm sending you a small specimen; it's like an impression and yet it isn't. Thick ink replaces pencil, that's all...
--Paul Gauguin

Near the end of his life in isolated French Polynesia, Gauguin invented his own technique to produce this unique, double-sided image. Both sides depict a young Tahitian woman as Eve in the Garden of Eden, surrounded by the Devil as a snake, a dark figure on horseback, and a fallen Adam. One side of the drawing consists of fine blue and black lines. Those markings are not only flipped or mirrored on the other side, but appear thicker and darker amid murky patches of black and ocher ink. This more colorful and detailed side was probably what Gauguin intended viewers to see.

On its surface, Gauguin's experimental drawing looks primitive and casually made. However, its rough appearance belies a very sophisticated work, with nuanced mark-making and carefully aligned applications of color. The closest analogy to Gauguin's process might be the act of writing or drawing on carbon paper, which transfers marks to underlying pages.

Gauguin coated a piece of paper with printer's ink. He placed another sheet of paper--what was to become this drawing--on top of it and drew the initial composition with black pencil. Then he blocked-in shading with ocher ink. Third, he strengthened the outlines with blue crayon. The pressure applied by the drawing instruments transferred ink to the underside of the sketched paper. For these successive printings, Gauguin had to change out the original sheet of inked paper and allow the drawing to dry, at least partially, between passes of ink. Last, he took a brush dipped in solvent and blended some areas of the drawing, most notably behind the figure of Eve.

Gauguin's long-term obsession with the biblical story of the fall of man enabled him to explore dual themes such as good and evil in a single work. As with many of his images, the way that Gauguin used symbols--their context and juxtaposition--complicate interpretation. For example, although Eve gazes directly at the viewer, it is difficult to tell whether her expression is confident or baleful. Her awkward gestures, one hand holding a cloth to her genitals and the other against her cheek, perhaps indicate shameful awareness of her sinful actions.

This particular Eve and the head of a hooded figure behind her originate from a drawing Gauguin made at least eight years earlier. He repeatedly incorporated these exact motifs into subsequent paintings and woodcuts. In this case also, the horse behind Eve may be inspired by a frieze design from the Parthenon, which Gauguin had in his collection of source materials brought from Europe. The hooded rider incorporates some of Gauguin's own features, and may also symbolize Death.

• Title Eve ['The Nightmare'] (recto); Eve ['The Nightmare'] (verso) (Recto)
• Creator Paul Gauguin
• Date Created about 1899¨C1900
• Location Created South Pacific, Tahiti
• Physical Dimensions 64.2 ¡Á 48.9 cm (25 1/4 ¡Á 19 1/4 in.)
• Type Drawing
• Medium Black printer's ink, ochre ink, and liquid solvent (recto); Graphite and blue crayon pencil with traces of a diluted oil medium (verso) on wove paper
• Terms of Use
  Open Content
• Number 2007.33
• Culture French
• Credit Line The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
• Creator Display Name Paul Gauguin (French, 1848 - 1903)
• Classification Drawings (Visual Works)

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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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:

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• Mounted on back flannel so as not to scuff your walls
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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.