The artwork titled “Man Picking Fruit from a Tree,” painted by Paul Gauguin in 1897 while in Punaauia, French Polynesia, is an oil on canvas genre painting representative of the Post-Impressionism movement. The artwork measures 92 by 72 cm and is part of the collection at the Hermitage Museum located in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
This artwork by Gauguin depicts an idyllic scene where a man is shown extending his arms to pick fruit from a tree. The figure is presented in a simplified form, characteristic of Gauguin’s style, with a focus on the essential shapes and colors to convey the scene. The lush vegetation is rendered in broad swaths of color, creating a vibrant, textured backdrop that conveys the richness of the natural environment. The color palette is warm, with nuances of greens and yellows dominating the composition, while spots of red punctuate the foliage, likely representing flowers or fruits.
The peaceful landscape also includes a figure of a goat in the foreground, which adds to the bucolic charm of the artwork and suggests a harmonious relationship between the figure and the surrounding nature. The overall effect of the painting is one of simplicity and serenity, highlighting Gauguin’s fascination with the exotic and his pursuit of capturing the essence of life in more primitive cultures, as he perceived them during his time in Polynesia.
