L'Enlevement d'Europe
Woodcut
ca. 1895-1903 (made), 1921 (printed)
ca. 1895-1903 (made), 1921 (printed)
| Artist/Maker |
The subject of Gauguin's print is a tale from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses' in which the god Zeus disguises himself as a bull in order to carry away the beautiful Europa. Other famous art historical versions have been painted by Titian and Veronese, among others. In this instance, Gauguin transposes the action from Tyre to Tahiti, where he lived and found the inspiration for much of his artwork.
Object details
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| Materials and techniques | woodcut print on paper |
| Brief description | 'L'Enlevement d'Europe' (The Rape of Europa); By Paul Gauguin (made ca. 1895-1903); Wood-cut print on paper; From the edition printed from the original woodblock by Pola Gauguin, son of the artist, in 1921. |
| Physical description | 'L'Enlevement d'Europe'; The Rape of Europa; Black and white central image of two female figures, one standing and the other being carried on the back of a small bull. A peacock and wild hare are situated in the upper left portion of the composition. The curvilinear expanse of white in the middle of the print delineates a body of water. The right margin is occupied by a roughly defined tree. Note: the image is printed in reverse; Wood-cut print on paper. |
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| Object history | Though the original woodblock was created by Gauguin circa 1895-1903, this impression was printed by his son Pola in 1921. |
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| Summary | The subject of Gauguin's print is a tale from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses' in which the god Zeus disguises himself as a bull in order to carry away the beautiful Europa. Other famous art historical versions have been painted by Titian and Veronese, among others. In this instance, Gauguin transposes the action from Tyre to Tahiti, where he lived and found the inspiration for much of his artwork. |
| Bibliographic reference | Taken from the departmental circulation registration 1949 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.98-1949 |
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| Record created | May 5, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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