Woman Strolling c. 1880

This small sculpture, carved by Paul Gauguin, captures a woman in wood with an intimate scale of just under 25 centimeters. The dominant material is the richly textured wood, its reddish-brown hue creating a warm, earthy presence that contrasts with the smooth, dark base. Gauguin's use of wood as a medium is central to understanding this work. Wood, unlike bronze or marble, retains a sense of the organic, the hand-made. The visible tool marks and the way the grain of the wood catches the light, reminds us of the process of its creation. It evokes a primitive or ‘naive’ aesthetic. In Gauguin's time there was a vogue for the 'primitive' which was seen as a source of authenticity. Consider how Gauguin might be challenging the traditional values of Western art by embracing a more direct, tactile engagement with the material. By doing this, the sculpture invites us to reconsider our expectations of what constitutes 'high' art, and to value the expressive potential found in the most humble materials.