Brittany landscape with women carrying sack 1889

Paul Gauguin made this landscape of Brittany with women carrying sacks using oil on canvas. Gauguin was known for his expressive use of colour and simplified forms, which he used to capture the essence of a scene or subject. But here, the dark greens and purples of the Breton countryside serve as a backdrop for the figures of the women, stooped under the weight of their burdens. The heaviness of the sack they carry mimics the painting's own layered impasto. Gauguin was interested in the lives of ordinary people, and his choice of subject matter suggests a sympathy for the working class. Their bent forms suggest labor and the hardship of rural life. While Gauguin is celebrated as a fine artist, this painting reminds us that art can also be a powerful tool for social commentary. It prompts us to think about the relationship between art and labor, and the ways in which artists can use their work to reflect and respond to the world around them.