Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Art - 4 of 12

Paul Gauguin
French, 1848-1903
Young Christian Girl
1894
Oil on canvas
65.2 x 46.7 cm
Acquired by the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in honor of Harding Bancroft (Trustee 1970-87; President 1977-87), 1986
1986.22

Notes:
Young Christian Girl was painted while Gauguin was visiting Pont-Aven in Brittany in 1894. The brilliant red and orange foliage of the poplars in the background is characteristic of Pont-Aven in October. Young Christian Girl shows the strong influence of Gauguin’s stay in Tahiti: the flattened forms and ambiguous space are both drawn from his study of non-Western art. Furthermore, the model wears a Tahitian missionary dress such as Annah, Gauguin's Javanese mistress, would have worn..

This work is currently included as part of the Clark's international tour.