Come here 1891

Curator: Before us is Paul Gauguin's 1891 painting, "Come here," crafted with oil paint. Currently, this artwork resides at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. Editor: It evokes a sense of tranquil abundance, doesn't it? The earthy tones and the hazy atmosphere suggest a paradise untouched. Those pigs foraging in the foreground really root us in an immediate, visceral sense of place. Curator: Precisely. Note how Gauguin flattens the picture plane. He isn’t interested in traditional perspective. Instead, he manipulates color and form to create a deliberately artificial space. See how he uses synthetism—reducing forms to their essential shapes, almost like visual symbols. Editor: The title "Come here," coupled with the pastoral imagery, almost acts as an invitation. One can imagine Gauguin himself, longing for a simpler existence away from the burdens of civilization. Do the foraging pigs also become a symbol here, embodying sustenance? Curator: One might even interpret it that way. There’s a symbolic weight placed on the rural lifestyle and existence outside urban, and perhaps societal constraints, which of course was at the very core of Gauguin’s later practice, following his relocation to Tahiti. Editor: The juxtaposition of those European homes with the indigenous palm suggests something as well. Even the exotic paradise contains the familiar reminders of another, foreign world. Curator: Indeed. The very structure suggests such conflicts and oppositions: the bright pigments of the flora are held together within the grid of compositional strategy, resulting in an almost dreamlike, stylized visual poem. Editor: I find myself considering the cultural significance and what he sought and also what he rejected in moving to a distant environment. There’s so much contained here. Curator: There are levels of visual interest throughout. Editor: Gauguin's piece has presented new and important dimensions to contemplate.