Auti Te Pape 1893 - 1894

Paul Gauguin created the woodcut "Auti Te Pape" with bold lines, stark contrasts, and simplified forms. These visual elements, combined with the flat picture plane and the tactile nature of the woodcut medium, evoke a sense of the primitive and exotic. The composition, divided into distinct zones, creates a spatial ambiguity that is further emphasized by Gauguin’s use of non-naturalistic perspective. This flattening of space can be interpreted through the lens of structuralism as an attempt to dismantle traditional Western modes of representation, challenging fixed meanings. The stylized figures and the patterned surfaces serve as signs within a semiotic system, inviting us to decode the cultural codes that Gauguin employed in his artistic project. The texture, created by the carving process, further contributes to the overall feeling. This element of texture destabilizes established conventions of realism and engages with new ways of thinking about perception and representation.