“La Belle Angele” is an artwork completed by Paul Gauguin in 1889, using the medium of oil on canvas. Measuring 92 cm by 73 cm, this portrait is a quintessential example of the Synthetism art movement. The artwork was created in Pont-Aven, France, and it is now housed in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
The artwork depicts a woman adorned in traditional regional attire, seated against a backdrop of a deep, cool blue that contrasts with the warmth of her skin tone and the reds of her dress. Her gaze is direct, engaging the viewer with a sense of calm and introspective authority. The defining features of Synthetism are present in the bold application of color, the simplification of form, and the synthesis of the subject with its stylized, almost flat background. The floral elements and the sculpture on the left of the portrait add to the composition, providing an exotic contrast to the sitter’s native Breton costume. The text “LA BELLE ANGÈLE” inscribed directly on the canvas, along with Gauguin’s choice of colors and forms, contributes to the artwork’s unique ambiance, blending the boundaries between the portrait and the artist’s personal symbolism.
