Yagourouh Et Mio. Yap, Ouest Carolines 1938

This is Paul Jacoulet's 'Yagourouh Et Mio. Yap, Ouest Carolines' – I wish I knew the date of its creation. Looking at these figures, I can imagine Jacoulet with his woodblocks, carving out the shapes and textures. The pink background feels soft, innocent almost. What must it have been like for Jacoulet, an outsider, to portray these women from Yap? I wonder what he was thinking as he chose this pastel palette, these costumes of grass? The skirts are wild, so full of playful colour, contrasting with the tenderness of the figures above. Their embrace is so intimate, their bodies close – the hands clasped. It is a very subtle and delicate depiction. I think of Gauguin in Tahiti, the way these artists frame and interpret the people they encounter in the Pacific islands. Painting is always about translation, about seeing through another's eyes, but also about seeing oneself in the world. It’s an ongoing conversation.