“Gauguin as Alchemist” at the Art Institute of Chicago
Over Labor Day weekend, I visited the Art Institute of Chicago to see the Thorne Miniature Rooms. While there, I also purchased a ticket to see the museum’s newest exhibit – “Gauguin as Alchemist.” The exhibit sought to show the versatility in Gauguin’s artwork, highlighting his work outside of painting. Ceramics, textiles, wood, and prints were all among the media that he used over the course of his career. Coming from an interest in material culture, the two pieces that most captured my imagination were his reinterpretation of two household objects. Through embellishment and experiment, Gauguin brought attention to the ways in which domestic material culture is art.
Paul Gauguin, Cabinet, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
The first object was an intricately carved cabinet. While Gauguin himself did not build the cabinet (he collaborated with a colleague), his carving speaks to the ways in which he sought to add detail, color, and intricate design to complicate our understanding of household objects. The form surprised me – Gauguin’s roughly hewn carvings in the center of the piece contrasted sharply with the lightness of the glass panels. However, the detail of the fruit and leaf appliques in the center of the upper case drew attention to the use of the object within a dining space. It made me consider the ways in which Gauguin meshed tradition with his own creativity to highlight both the purpose of the furniture forms and the motifs that he explored in his art.
The second piece embodied the way in which Gauguin transformed objects already within his home into non-traditional canvases for his imagination. Taking a household wine cask, Gauguin used this object as an opportunity to express his interest in the cultures of Tahiti, decorating it with flowers, women, and birds. He eroticized and exoticized the culture and expressed his interpretation of the island in wood. Through the added interaction with the wine cask, carving it with motifs used in his other pieces, Gauguin once again transformed the commonplace into the uncommon.
The Art Institute highlighted the ways in which Gauguin manipulated different materials to challenge himself as an artist and challenge his contemporary audience about what they understand to be “art.” I walked away with additional questions about his process for learning how to use these materials and his interest in portraying cultures other than his own in his decoration. The exhibit accomplished its purpose while inspiring me to learn more about Gauguin!
By Allison Robinson, WPAMC Class of 2018
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