France, late 19th–early 20th century / 1902
The Call
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs The Call as painting (France, late 19th–early 20th century · 1902).
Although known as one of the founders of modern art, Gauguin found inspiration in ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian art. The woman with the pointing finger on the right side of this painting was taken from a figure on the Parthenon frieze.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on canvas and credits Paul Gauguin (French, 1848–1903).
The museum's collection notes: Painted on a remote island in Polynesia a year before the artist's death, The Call belongs to a series of late works that explore the mysteries of life and death. Two women stand with bare feet, as if on sacred ground. One woman gestures to someone outside the picture, perhaps responding to a "call" from fate or destiny. Gauguin realized his ambition of painting from memory and the imagination through such mysterious, dreamlike images.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtThe CallOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.