Flowers and carpet (Pansies) 1880

Curator: Here we have Paul Gauguin's "Flowers and carpet (Pansies)," an oil painting completed around 1880. Notice how the intense colours almost vibrate against each other. Editor: My first impression? Controlled chaos. It’s a riot of colour and texture, a sort of domestic explosion held in check by that oddly formal vase. Curator: The juxtaposition of domesticity and…what did you call it, "domestic explosion," is quite striking. Let’s look at how Gauguin used material. He layered oil paints quite thickly. The heavy impasto suggests the roughness of the carpet itself. Editor: Yes, the thick paint gives it an almost sculptural quality, doesn’t it? It's more about feeling the image, isn’t it, rather than simply looking at it. And that bold application, it almost defies the traditional notions of refinement we often associate with flower paintings. Curator: Absolutely. And beyond that tactility is the deliberate contrast between the mass-produced, geometric pattern of the carpet and the organic, fleeting nature of the flowers. It invites a critical reflection on consumerism. The production and value we place on commodities like carpets in relation to naturally occurring beauty of a bouquet of flowers. Editor: Ooh, I like that reading! Though part of me also thinks he just really liked playing with clashing patterns. There’s a glee in how "wrong" it all is. That vase seems intentionally positioned as if to tame all that. Failing, beautifully, of course! Curator: The tension certainly gives the work its power. Thinking about that vase, mass-produced pottery of this kind becomes widely available through industrial methods that Gauguin clearly is acknowledging. Its placement signifies something far beyond representing decoration. Editor: See, and there I was just picturing him popping down to a local shop and thinking, "That’ll do!" It's fun to consider the social impact, certainly, but I'm going to stick to my gut feeling that he was really just enjoying himself. Curator: I concede the artist’s enjoyment is evident, but the commentary feels undeniably linked to broader industrial forces at work during his lifetime. That push and pull keeps it fascinating, I think. Editor: It does! Well, I certainly see the pansies, the carpet, and, much to my initial surprise, all the layers hiding beneath them!