Paul Gauguin's Noa Noa prints: Multi-analytical characterization of the printmaking techniques and materials

Abstract

The Art Institute of Chicago holds an extensive collection of works on paper by Paul Gauguin, including 39 unique woodblock prints from the artist's famed Noa Noa Suite that he produced following his first visit to Tahiti. Although Gauguin's graphic works are among his most innovative and experimental, they have been less studied from a technical perspective than his works in other media. This paper presents results from an in-depth, multi-analytical investigation of the Noa Noa prints that employed non-invasive techniques hand-in-hand with selective analysis of microsamples of the printing inks and pigments to provide a detailed characterization of Gauguin's materials and insights into his working methods. The study reveals Gauguin's creativity in the manipulation of his materials to produce distinctive visual effects in his woodblock prints: this included the formulation of oleoresinous media to produce textural effects, and the selective use of hand- and stencil-applied colors for various impressions. The analytical findings also confirm visual evidence of fading and other alterations in pigments that help to inform our interpretation of the imagery. Overall, this research has aided understanding of Gauguin's pictorial narratives and enhanced our appreciation of the artistic significance and technical ingenuity involved in the production of this understudied part of his oeuvre.