What! Are you jealous? by Paul Gauguin

This major work created during the artist’s stay in Polynesia perfectly illustrates the symbolist movement and primitivism. The French painter Paul Gauguin is inspired by the daily life of Maori women to compose his famous painting entitled “Aha oe feii?”. By deliberately departing from European aesthetic canons, the author seeks to capture the very essence of a preserved Oceanian culture, celebrating the natural beauty and contemplative spirit of a distant paradise.

Two Polynesian women with bare bodies are settled on a pink sand beach that runs along a blue water with golden and orange reflections. One is seated facing forward, her dark hair adorned with a crown of delicate white flowers, while she turns a thoughtful gaze toward her companion. The latter is lying down on her back beside her, resting under the hot sun, an arm folded behind her head. The two figures rest on a red fabric with floral patterns spread on the sunny ground. The balanced and compact composition highlights the sculptural forms of the silhouettes, emphasized by sharp outlines and an intense light that sculpts the volumes of their amber skin.

The painter’s exceptional artisanal know-how lies in his masterful treatment of pure color and formal synthetism. His innovative and bold technique makes it possible to exalt the sensuality of forms and to immortalize the vibrant warmth of the tropics with an absolutely incomparable decorative power.