The artwork titled “There is the Marae” is an oil on canvas piece created by artist Paul Gauguin in 1892. The painting is an example of the Cloisonnism art movement and measures 69 by 89 centimeters. It is categorized under the landscape genre and is currently housed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Gauguin produced this artwork while he was located in French Polynesia.
The artwork depicts a vivid and stylized landscape that embodies the vision and style characteristic of Paul Gauguin’s work during his time in French Polynesia. It is marked by bold outlines and flat areas of color, a technique indicative of the Cloisonnism movement which Gauguin was a leading figure of. The canvas portrays a rolling hill with a bright yellow foreground leading to a marae, which is a sacred Polynesian enclosure, indicated by its outlined structure including stacked forms that suggest a fence or barrier with skull-like shapes incorporated into it.
This marae creates an intersection between the natural landscape and human cultural presence on the land. Above the barrier, we see statuesque figures standing vigil, further emphasizing the religious or spiritual significance of the place. The background is filled with dark mountainous terrain, providing a stark contrast to the bright colors in the foreground. An expansive sky transitions in color from a pale hue near the horizon to a deeper blue at the top, echoing the contemplative nature of dusk or dawn. The use of these vivid colors and the juxtaposition of manmade structures within the natural environment encapsulate Gauguin’s impressions of the Polynesian landscape and culture, and reflect the artist’s search for a primitivism and spirituality that he felt was lacking in European society.
