Artwork Page for The Call

Details / Information for The Call

The Call

1902

Paul Gauguin

(French, 1848–1903)
Culture
France, late 19th-early 20th Century
Medium
oil on fabric
Measurements
Framed: 160.5 x 119 x 9.5 cm (63 3/16 x 46 7/8 x 3 3/4 in.); Unframed: 131.3 x 89.5 cm (51 11/16 x 35 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Hanna Fund 1943.392
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
222 Impressionism & Post-Impressionism
Print
?

Did You Know?

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.

Description

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.
A vertically oriented oil painting depicts two women in the center standing on a neon pink ground that covers the lower two-thirds of the painting. Another nude person is seated with their back to us on the left, all with medium skin tone. The woman standing on the left wears a pink dress with blue cloth around her head, looking at us. Next to her, a topless woman with a blue-green skirt looks and points to the right. In the upper half, a green ground of a tree-spotted landscape and blue sky.

The Call

1902

Paul Gauguin

(French, 1848–1903)
France, late 19th-early 20th Century

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

    Contact Us

    The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please fill out the appropriate request form linked below:

    Update or Correct Artwork Information

    Imagery or Rights for Non-Open-Access Artworks

    Report a Website Issue

    Further Questions About This Artwork