Artwork
Houses at Vaugirard
Houses at Vaugirard is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin. It dates from 1890 and is held in the collection of the Israel Museum.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1890, *Houses at Vaugirard* is an oil painting by Paul Gauguin that captures a quiet suburban scene on the outskirts of Paris. The composition presents a modest cluster of houses set behind a low-lying field, framed by a few trees, and rendered in a restrained palette of browns and greens.
Subject & Meaning
The work portrays an ordinary residential landscape, emphasizing the everyday character of the Vaugirard district. By focusing on a simple, unremarkable setting, Gauguin invites contemplation of the quiet rhythms of urban periphery life, a theme that recurs in his early explorations of modern French society.
Technique & Style
Gauguin applied oil with thick, impasto brushstrokes that give the surface a tactile quality, especially in the foliage and built forms. The handling reflects his move toward Synthetism, where color and form are simplified and combined to convey mood rather than precise naturalistic detail, distinguishing the piece from conventional Impressionist renderings.
History & Provenance
The painting was produced during Gauguin's formative years within the Post‑Impressionist circle, a period when his work was still largely overlooked by the public and critics. It entered private collections after his death and has since been documented in several catalogues of his early oeuvre, contributing to the reassessment of his pre‑Tahiti output.
Context
Executed at a time when Parisian artists were questioning the limits of Impressionism, *Houses at Vaugirard* reflects Gauguin's early departure from fleeting light effects toward a more symbolic use of color and form. The suburban motif aligns with contemporary interests in depicting modern life beyond the city centre, foreshadowing his later symbolic investigations.
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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.
