Two Tahitian Women in a Landscape 1887 - 1897

Paul Gauguin created this painting, Two Tahitian Women in a Landscape, using watercolor. The subdued palette and flattened perspective create a scene that feels both intimate and timeless. Gauguin uses color to construct the composition: the blues of the pareos worn by the women contrast with the ochre and greens of the natural surroundings. The figures are outlined with simplified forms, a technique Gauguin developed to move away from Western art traditions. This flattening of form helps to emphasize the surface of the painting, challenging conventional ideas of depth and realism. Consider the way Gauguin uses color and line to flatten the pictorial space, creating an interplay between surface and depth. It's a deliberate choice that emphasizes the constructed nature of the image, a reminder that what we see is always mediated, interpreted, and never simply a transparent window onto the world.