Artwork
Emil Gauguin as a Child, Wearing a Collared Shirt
Emil Gauguin as a Child, Wearing a Collared Shirt is a drawing by the Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin. It dates from 1876 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1876, this drawing portrays a young boy in a high‑collared shirt, rendered with swift, unrefined lines on aged, yellowed paper. The figure is identified as the artist’s son, Emil, who was approximately ten years old at the time. The work is modest in scale and composition, presenting a plain, everyday subject without decorative embellishment.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait captures Emil Gauguin with curly hair and a solemn expression, emphasizing a straightforward, observational approach. By choosing his own child as the model, the artist records a personal moment, focusing on the child's demeanor rather than symbolic or narrative content. The work thus functions as a simple familial record rather than an allegorical statement.
Technique & Style
Executed in a loose, sketch‑like manner, the drawing relies on dark graphite marks against a light background, with minimal shading or detail.
Executed in a loose, sketch‑like manner, the drawing relies on dark graphite marks against a light background, with minimal shading or detail. The quick, gestural strokes convey the figure’s outline and clothing without rendering a finished surface, reflecting a practice more akin to a study or informal note than a polished portrait. This approach contrasts with the artist’s later, more stylized techniques.
History & Provenance
The piece originates from the early phase of the artist’s career, prior to his association with Post‑Impressionist and Symbolist movements. It remained in private hands for several decades before entering a public collection in the early twentieth century, where it has been catalogued as an example of his formative work and familial subject matter.
Artist & collection
Artist
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.
