Portrait of Tehamana 1891 - 1893

Editor: This is Paul Gauguin's "Portrait of Tehamana," created between 1891 and 1893, using charcoal and pencil on paper. It feels surprisingly modern. What stands out to you? Curator: I’m immediately drawn to the materials used and the social context. Charcoal and paper: readily available, portable, inexpensive. This isn’t oil paint commissioned by a wealthy patron. This is about accessibility, a democratisation of image-making. Consider also, Gauguin’s own motivations and relationship with Tahiti. To what extent is this a portrait and to what extent is it an ethnographic study for a European audience hungry for images of "exotic" cultures? Editor: That's a provocative idea. I hadn't thought about the accessibility of the medium influencing its message. Is it fair to suggest the artwork reduces Tehamana to a mere commodity? Curator: Perhaps 'commodity' is too simplistic. Look at the mark-making. Gauguin doesn't shy away from depicting the individual – the firmness of her gaze, the set of her mouth. But consider how his material choices, the quick, gestural nature of charcoal, reflect a broader trend of artistic appropriation, perhaps even exploitation, within a colonial framework. Are we truly seeing Tehamana or a European construction *of* Tehamana? Editor: So, the ease of production and distribution could contribute to the objectification? Curator: Precisely. The charcoal makes reproduction easy; images like this can be circulated widely, turning an individual into a type, reinforcing pre-conceived notions and power imbalances. It's all intertwined: the materials, the process, and the social dynamics. Editor: I've definitely gained a new perspective, viewing the piece through the lens of materiality and power dynamics makes you think beyond the aesthetic appeal. Curator: Absolutely. And that is precisely the goal; we cannot view any art outside of the system that allows for its very creation.