La Tahitienne

With raised arms enveloped by a seashell-like aura, the figure in the present drawing probably represents Hina, goddess of the moon and of healing, also considered to embody the essence of feminine energy in Polynesian mythology. Hina occupied an important place in the Polynesian pantheon and, as such, Gauguin considered her as strongly emblematic of the indigenous culture he so revered. The artist represented her numerous times in paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints, perhaps the most celebrated example being in D’où venons-nous ? Que sommes-nous ? Où allons-nous?, painted in 1897 (Wildenstein, no. 561; The Museum of Fine Art, Boston). The ascending figure and the chiaroscuro treatment of the drawing also reveals the latent impact of the European tradition on Gauguin’s work. The works of Puvis de Chavannes in particular exerted considerable influence on Gauguin. During a stay in Paris between voyages to the south seas, Gauguin executed a drawing after the second version of Puvis’ L’Espérance, representing a young woman holding an olive tree (see J. Rewald, Post-impressionism, New York,1962, p. 459). We also know that Gauguin took a reproduction of L’Espérance with him to Tahiti. Indeed, such was the work’s significance for Gauguin that he would paint an ode to it with his Nature morte à “L’Espérance ”, painted in Tahiti in 1902 (Wildenstein, no. 604). The present drawing appears to represent a conjuncture between the newfound Polynesian culture, as embodied by Hina, in association with the ideal beauty of the Western tradition.