Paul Gauguin
Gauguin painted this work in Northern France after an extended stay in Tahiti, fusing imagery from his recent experiences. The young girl bows her head and joins her hands in prayer. Behind her, lilac shapes fan around her shoulders like wings, and the russet-colored cypresses and rolling green hills suggest the landscape of Brittany. Yet instead of the white cap and dark clothing traditionally worn by Breton women, she is shown in a dress similar to those brought by Christian missionaries to the South Sea Islands.
We present today's masterpiece thanks to The Clark.
P.S. Read about the controversies around the painter—was Gauguin a master or a monster?