Portrait of Faase, the Taupo, or Official Virgin, of Fagaloa Bay, and Her Duenna, Samoa 1888 - 1891

John La Farge created this watercolor painting, *Portrait of Faase, the Taupo*, sometime in the late nineteenth century. The composition centers on two figures—Faase and her duenna—within a verdant landscape. La Farge employs a vibrant, fluid brushstroke, especially notable in the rendering of the foliage, where individual leaves are suggested rather than meticulously depicted. This technique lends the scene an airy, almost dreamlike quality, a sense of immediacy and transience. The subdued palette, dominated by greens and browns, contributes to a sense of calm, but look closely at how La Farge uses color. Note how the artist uses tonal variation to subtly destabilize the scene, shifting the ground beneath our feet. The painting presents a complex interplay between observation and artistic interpretation. La Farge engages with the visual forms of Samoa, while creating something more abstract. The structure of the painting invites us to consider how art mediates cultural encounters.