France, 19th century / 1889
In the Waves (Dans les Vagues)
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs In the Waves (Dans les Vagues) as painting (France, 19th century · 1889).
Gauguin likely painted this work of art during his time in a small coastal village called Pont-Aven where he sought to immerse himself in nature and escape modern civilization.
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 at Pont-Aven in northwest France, this depiction of a nude figure throwing herself into the sea suggests a metaphor for a modern European woman forsaking civilization and abandoning herself to her natural, primitive instincts. The simplified lines and exaggerated colors, especially the contrasting green and orange, seem invented rather than observed from life. Exhibiting the painting at the Café Volpini in Paris in 1889, Gauguin established himself as a leader of the Symbolist movement in art.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtIn the Waves (Dans les Vagues)Original explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.