The artwork entitled “Sacred Spring” is a creation by artist Paul Gauguin from the year 1894. The medium used is oil on canvas, and the piece measures 74 by 100 centimeters. It belongs to the art movement known as Cloisonnism and is categorized as a genre painting. This artwork can be viewed at the Hermitage Museum, located in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
“Sacred Spring” depicts a serene and idyllic tropical landscape, possibly inspired by Gauguin’s time in Tahiti. The foreground prominently features two women seated by a body of water, one of whom is holding a flower while the other seems to be in deep contemplation. Their calm expressions and relaxed postures help to convey the tranquility of the setting. In the middle ground, another woman is standing by the edge of the water, and further back, a figure is crouching, all contributing to a sense of daily life and harmony with nature.
The background of the artwork presents an atmosphere filled with vibrant colors and shapes, evocative of a lush paradise with mountains, trees, and a vivid sky. The painting uses bold outlines and flat areas of color, characteristic of the Cloisonnist style, which enhances the decorative quality and symbolic content of the scene. The stylized and flat forms, alongside the bright palette, exude a sense of exoticism and mystique, inviting viewers to contemplate the spiritual and cultural essence captured by Gauguin.
Overall, the artwork is a significant representation of Gauguin’s search for a primordial and spiritual experience that he felt was lacking in Western society, thus it embodies his attempt to capture the perceived purity and sacredness of indigenous Tahitian life.
