Paul Gauguin Ia Orana Maria Part.1
I. Exuberant Tropical Pastime
When beholding this work, the initial impression is one of opulence, richness, and a profusion of vivid hues. The canvas resounds with a symphony of vibrant colors—red, yellow, green, and various others. It is evident at first glance that the central figures on the canvas include four individuals: a woman with a child slung over her shoulder, standing diagonally in the foreground on the right; two women on the left, one gesturing as if in prayer while the other has removed her upper garment; and a child. The figures, as well as the surrounding landscape, from the prominent bananas in the foreground to the flora, flowers, grass, and the glimpse of huts in the background, shine with distinct forms and bold colors, imparting an unending sense of abundance. For Gauguin, it seems that every part of the canvas must be filled with color and form; it appears incomplete otherwise. It is markedly different from the world of the Impressionists like Monet or the Post-Impressionists like Seurat.
In the Impressionist realm, vast open spaces bathed in light and air were requisite. When Monet painted “Woman with a Parasol,” he deliberately chose an angle from below to create an impression of the figure against a vast expanse of open sky behind her. Conversely, Gauguin avoids the sky intentionally, veiling it behind the upper reaches of the canvas with an abundance of flowers, trees, and huts in the background. As a result, the composition, in contrast to Monet, has a slightly elevated perspective, as if we are looking down at the scene. The figures, instead of silhouetted against an empty sky, are intertwined within a tapestry of vibrant colors and patterns.
In terms of compositional effect, one could argue that Gauguin pursued ornamentation more than spatial depth. Rather than striving to capture an expansive three-dimensional space on the canvas, he seems to exert himself to ensure that the two-dimensional surface itself is not interrupted. Even the fruits in the foreground are depicted not for their own sake but merely as elements that fill in what would otherwise be a void in the painting.
In addition to this decorative aspect of composition, the exoticism of the Tahitian setting contributes significantly to the vivid impression of the artwork. All the figures have luminous brown skin, and their attire exudes a rustic and unpretentious opulence. Nearby, indigenous Tahitian flora flourish, adorned with resplendent blooms. Even for someone unaware that this painting was created on the island of Tahiti, it would not be too difficult to imagine a perpetually sunny land, forever summer, far removed from the mundane trappings of everyday life.
But, then, is it enough to assert that this artwork merely encapsulates exotic motifs within a decorative composition?
Upon closer examination, one realizes that there is more to it than meets the eye. The figures are not merely ornamental motifs; they possess a deeper significance. The two women in the background, one folding her hands as if in prayer, are unmistakably paying homage to the woman in the foreground, who stands out prominently on the canvas and seems to gaze quietly toward the viewer, seemingly oblivious to the two women behind her. Furthermore, the central figures are not limited to just four individuals. Upon closer inspection, another figure emerges, veiled in the shadows of flowers and leaves, positioned even further behind. Such a clear distinction in the portrayal of each character signifies that they each bear different meanings and roles.
So, what exactly are these individuals doing?
“Ave Maria”
Regarding the meaning and content of the artwork, we find a clue in the title directly inscribed by Gauguin in the bottom left corner of the painting, “Ia Orana Maria,” which translates to “Maria, we greet you” in Tahitian, corresponding to the opening of the Christian prayer, “Ave Maria.”
So, Gauguin has, in a sense, infused a Christian significance into the idyllic landscape of Tahiti in the South Pacific. Gauguin explained this work in a letter sent to his friend Daniel de Monfried on March 11, 1892, from Tahiti:
“…I painted a yellow-winged angel pointing to Mary and Jesus for two Tahitian women. Both Mary and Jesus are also Tahitian. They are all wearing pareos, a cloth with flower patterns, wrapped around their waists. The background is filled with dark mountains and flowering plants. The road is a deep purple, and the foreground is emerald green, with a banana tree on the left. I quite like this painting…”
In essence, Gauguin deliberately depicted Mary and Jesus Christ as Tahitian figures. When one observes the halos adorning the heads of the mother and child, it signifies their exceptional, non-ordinary nature. Moreover, the figure nestled amidst the flowered shadows on the left, with wings, undoubtedly signifies an angel. The two Tahitian women clasping their hands in prayer, standing before the central figures, becomes quite logical if the figure before them is the Virgin Mary. In other words, although this painting may superficially appear as an exotic landscape, it is, in fact, a conspicuous religious portrayal, precisely rooted in Christian iconography.
However, one might wonder about the presence of Tahitian elements in the painting’s background. After all, there is no record in the Bible or Christian hagiographies of the Virgin Mary appearing in the South Pacific. Furthermore, the portrayal of the Virgin Mary as a Tahitian is even more perplexing. Yet, as evident from the letter to Monfried mentioned earlier, Gauguin was intentional from the outset about depicting the Virgin Mary as a Tahitian. Gauguin was well aware that this deviated from conventional religious imagery. Nonetheless, he chose to depict this unusual religious fusion, and, moreover, expressed his satisfaction with it as he immersed himself in the untarnished world of the South Pacific, away from the trappings of European civilization, and, in this painting, sought to juxtapose the traditional imagery of Christianity with the resplendent Tahitian landscape.
III. Religious Fantasies
This undoubtedly suggests that the painter Gauguin was driven by something more than merely transcribing the visible world onto canvas. Thus, this stands in stark contrast to the world of Impressionism, including Monet, who aimed to represent the external world as purely and faithfully as possible.
As widely known, Gauguin was originally an amateur painter. His transition to wielding a brush was significantly influenced by the Impressionist painters, especially Pissarro. Consequently, Gauguin initially produced works in the Impressionist style and began participating in Impressionist exhibitions from the 4th exhibition in 1879.
However, Gauguin’s period of producing paintings entirely in the Impressionist manner was exceedingly brief. Long before his journey to Tahiti, Gauguin expressed dissatisfaction with Impressionism’s singular focus on the senses, stating that it paid little attention to the intellect. For him, a painting was not merely about faithfully depicting the external world but also required the involvement of imagination and intellectual faculties. Impressionism, in his view, over-relied on sensation, neglecting the role of the mind.
Hence, with heightened sensitivity to the sensory world, Gauguin pursued a higher purpose. He aimed to inject spiritual authority into painting, even within the realm of sensory experience.
Even in the world of sensory perception, Gauguin, who possessed a particularly sensitive disposition, found himself dissatisfied with limiting his artistic expression to the resplendent Tahitian flowers and fruits. Instead, he sought to create a grand spectacle, one that resonated with the mysteries of Western Christianity that had nurtured his intellect for so long, all within this exotic stage.
The inclination to employ the reality before one’s eyes as a backdrop for religious fantasies became particularly pronounced in Gauguin’s works during the late 1880s. A prominent example is “Vision After the Sermon,” housed in the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh. Set against the vivid crimson background, it portrays Breton women in traditional attire of the region interpreting the biblical story of Jacob wrestling with an angel as a vision experienced after a sermon. The juxtaposition of the realistic element of women in Breton folk costumes with the otherworldly narrative of the angelic struggle invokes a vivid impression of the supernatural. The composition conveys to the viewer not just the intricacies of color and form but an enigmatic, mystical impression beyond the sum of these parts.
In the following year, 1889, Gauguin attempted a bold endeavor in his renowned “Yellow Christ” by placing women in Breton folk costumes at the crucifixion, further intertwining the elements of the Passion with the folk traditions of Brittany.
Gauguin’s “Ia Orana Maria,” painted shortly after his arrival on Tahiti at the end of 1891, stands as a direct extension of these religious fantasy paintings.