Gauguin, Paul (1848-1903)
Nature morte au profil de Laval (Still Life with Profile of Laval)
1886
Oil on canvas, 46 x 38 cm
Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis
In this enigmatic image, Gauguin’s fellow artist Charles Laval peers at an arrangement of objects on a rumpled cloth. The tall vessel behind the fruit is one of Gauguin’s highly original experiments with ceramics, which he began making in 1886. Its current location is unknown. Laval’s profile reflects Gauguin’s admiration for the off-center, cropped compositions of Edgar Degas, while the parallel brush strokes and outlining of the fruit suggest the influence of Paul Cézanne. This canvas was painted in Paris in late 1886, after Gauguin’s return from his first visit to the Breton village of Pont-Aven, where he befriended Laval. (IMA)
See also:
• Laval, Charles (1861-1894)