Arearea no Varua Ino (Words of the Devil) [recto]

Gauguin employed the monotype process, applying watercolor directly onto a prepared Japanese paper surface before transferring the image onto cardboard.

Gauguin employed the monotype process, applying watercolor directly onto a prepared Japanese paper surface before transferring the image onto cardboard. The technique yields a textured, slightly unfinished surface with visible brushwork and a lack of fine detail, especially in the woman's face, emphasizing form over realism. The simplified shapes and bold color contrasts align with his Synthetist approach, favoring symbolic content over naturalistic representation.

The piece belongs to the later phase of Gauguin’s career, when he was integrating non‑Western influences encountered during his stays in Tahiti. It reflects his broader experimentation with printmaking alongside painting and sculpture, a practice he pursued throughout the 1890s. The work’s provenance traces back to Gauguin’s own studio inventory, though specific ownership changes after its creation are not documented in the available records.

During the 1890s Gauguin moved away from Impressionist concerns for fleeting light, adopting a Symbolist vocabulary that emphasized inner meaning and decorative flatness. His exposure to Japanese paper and print traditions informed the material choice for this monotype, while the subject matter echoes his fascination with exoticized figures and simplified, archetypal forms.