Who painted Auti te Pape (Women at the River)?

Auti te Pape (Women at the River) was painted by Paul Gauguin in 1894.

Where can I see Auti te Pape (Women at the River)?

Auti te Pape (Women at the River) is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Auti te Pape (Women at the River)?

Auti te Pape (Women at the River) is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Auti te Pape (Women at the River)

Paul Gauguin , 1894

Auti te Pape (Women at the River) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin. It dates from 1894 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1894, *Auti te Pape (Women at the River)* is a color woodcut by Paul Gauguin. The work belongs to his printmaking output, which runs parallel to his painting and sculpture. It exemplifies the artist’s turn toward Symbolist and Post‑Impressionist concerns, employing a flattened visual language that privileges decorative color and simplified form over realistic depiction.

Subject & Meaning

The composition presents two women seated beside a riverbank, framed by tall grasses and trees. One figure clutches a basket, while the other reclines, propping herself on her hands. The stark black background isolates the figures, allowing the vivid yellows and oranges of the women and foliage to dominate, suggesting a focus on mood and symbolic presence rather than narrative detail.

Technique & Style

The print’s limited palette and strong contours reinforce the emphasis on decorative surface and emotional resonance over naturalistic rendering.

Gauguin executed the image using a traditional woodcut process: a design was carved into a wood block, inked, and pressed onto paper. This method yields bold, flat areas of color and crisp outlines, characteristics that align with his Synthetist approach. The print’s limited palette and strong contours reinforce the emphasis on decorative surface and emotional resonance over naturalistic rendering.

History & Provenance

The print emerged during Gauguin’s mature period, when he was actively exploring print media alongside his paintings. Although specific ownership records are sparse, the work has been catalogued among his 1890s woodcuts and has appeared in several exhibitions of his graphic oeuvre, illustrating the artist’s sustained interest in the medium throughout his career.

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.