Artwork

A Man Leaning on a Wall with Five Other Studies; Two Bearded Men Wearing Hats, and Five Other Studies [recto]

A Man Leaning on a Wall with Five Other Studies; Two Bearded Men Wearing Hats, and Five Other Studies [recto] is a graphite drawing by the Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin. It dates from 1886 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1886, this graphite drawing on wove paper is attributed to Paul Gauguin. It comprises a central figure—a man resting against a wall—accompanied by a series of auxiliary studies that include two bearded men wearing hats and several other gestural sketches. The work exemplifies Gauguin’s interest in exploring human form through line rather than color.

Subject & Meaning

The composition juxtaposes a solitary, leaning figure with a collection of ancillary studies, suggesting a preparatory process for a larger narrative or figure group. The presence of bearded, hat‑clad men hints at Gauguin’s fascination with character types and everyday personas, while the varied poses convey a study of posture and gesture rather than a finished story.

Technique & Style

The paper’s smooth surface allows for fine detail, emphasizing the artist’s experimental approach to drawing as a means of structural investigation.

Executed entirely in graphite, the drawing relies on delicate hatching and contour lines to define volume and space. Gauguin’s handling of line departs from the fleeting brushwork of Impressionism, favoring a more deliberate, symbolic articulation of form. The paper’s smooth surface allows for fine detail, emphasizing the artist’s experimental approach to drawing as a means of structural investigation.

History & Provenance

The piece originates from Gauguin’s early Paris period, a time when he was transitioning from Impressionist influences toward the Symbolist tendencies that would later dominate his oeuvre. While specific ownership records are limited, the drawing has been catalogued among his preparatory studies and is held in a public collection that documents his formative experiments in line and figure drawing.

Artist & collection

Artist

Paul Gauguin

Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; French: ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements.