Arearea Joyousness by Paul Gauguin

The celebration of ancestral rituals and daily island life is expressed with extraordinary decorative power in this major work of Post-Impressionism. Through the scene entitled “Arearea Joyousness”, the traveler Paul Gauguin reinvents the Tahitian landscape by blending real observations and imaginary visions. The canvas becomes the receptacle of an idyllic world where nature and humanity commune through music and sacred dance.

In the center of the image, two Oceanian women are settled on a verdant lawn at the foot of a massive tree with sinuous branches. The figure on the left, dressed in a blue pareo, plays a small flute while her neighbor, draped in a sleeveless white tunic, looks forward calmly. In the foreground, a dog with a bright red coat and a slender silhouette sniffs the ground in an intriguing manner. In the background, elevated in relation to the protagonists, three other female silhouettes in traditional attire dance before a dark stone idol under a sky colored with yellow and red. The composition is organized in horizontal bands of saturated and contrasting colors.

The artist’s genius lies in this bold use of non-naturalistic colors to arouse a deep poetic emotion. His skillful handling of oil gives a matte finish and planarity characteristic of the synthetist style. The rhythmic treatment of forms demonstrates technical virtuosity and a great decorative expertise.