“Quarry hole in the cliff” is an artwork created by Paul Gauguin in 1882, during his stay in France. This oil on canvas painting reflects the principles of the Impressionism movement, with its focus on capturing the effects of light and atmosphere. The genre of the painting is classified as landscape, highlighting the natural world as its predominant theme. The artwork is currently housed at the Kunsthaus Zürich, located in Zürich, Switzerland.
The artwork depicts a quarry hole situated within a cliff environment. The composition captures a sense of abandonment and wildness through the depiction of the excavation set against the untamed surrounds. A large mass of earth rises prominently on the right, which seems to suggest the intrusion of human activity into the natural world. Gauguin uses a palette that is resonant with earthy tones, giving the impression of the warmth and dryness of the landscape. The impressionist brushwork provides a sense of movement in the grasses and foliage, with the light playing across the scene. There is a sense of immediacy and the fleeting nature of light particular to Impressionism, inviting contemplation of both the transience and the endurance of the natural and altered elements within the landscape. The absence of human figures emphasizes the quiet solitude of the place, indicating a moment captured in time where nature and human impact coexist.
