In the Waves (Dans les Vagues)

Paul Gauguin · 1889

Painted at Pont-Aven in northwest France, this depiction of a nude figure throwing herself into the sea suggests a metaphor for a modern European woman forsaking civilization and abandoning herself to her natural, primitive instincts. The simplified lines and exaggerated colors, especially the contrasting green and orange, seem invented rather than observed from life. Exhibiting the painting at the Café Volpini in Paris in 1889, Gauguin established himself as a leader of the Symbolist movement in art.

Artist

Paul Gauguin

Date

1889

Medium

oil on canvas

Culture

France, 19th century

Dimensions

Framed: 123.8 x 106 x 7 cm (48 3/4 x 41 3/4 x 2 3/4 in.); Unframed: 92.5 x 72.4 cm (36 7/16 x 28 1/2 in.)

Credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William Powell Jones

Open-access artwork courtesy of Cleveland Museum of Art. Mooseium is not affiliated with or endorsed by this institution.