At the Black Rocks (Aux roches noires) after 1895

This is a monotype print entitled "At the Black Rocks" made by Paul Gauguin, sometime in the late 1800s, when printmaking was undergoing a revival. The image suggests a dreamlike or mythical encounter. On the left we see reclining figures, perhaps evoking classical nymphs. In the center sits a figure in apparent distress, and to the right, strange totemic forms. Gauguin made this print after his first trip to Tahiti. He was one of many artists at this time who looked beyond the European tradition to other cultures for inspiration. But it’s important to remember that Tahiti was, at this time, a French colony. In his paintings and prints, Gauguin often combined elements of Tahitian imagery with European conventions. This artistic choice reflected a desire for an alternative to Western society but was inevitably shaped by colonialism. Historians of art can research the colonial history of Tahiti, Gauguin’s biography, and the printmaking culture of France to develop a fuller understanding of this work.