spirit of the dead watching manao tupapau paul gauguin

spirit of the dead watching manao tupapau paul gauguinExploring the interstices between the world of the living and that of the spirit, Paul Gauguin's Spirit of the Dead Watching is a pictorial journey into the mystical and the beyond. This post impressionist work plunges us into a nocturnal scene, where light and darkness come together to tell a gripping story of the afterlife. In the centre of the painting, a young Tahitian woman, naked and vulnerable, lies on a white sheet, her anxious gaze directed

"Often it seems to me that the night is even more richly coloured than the day

Henri Rousseau glorifies himself in this self-portrait

In this pointillist work

their precision giving way to the overall atmosphere of the painting

Vincent Van Gogh chose to depict the branches of an almond tree - one of the earliest trees in spring - to symbolize the blossoming of a new life

Some elements of the setting (a busy harbor) are seen from above

The forest becomes an imperceptible and disquieting force that overflows the picture and only stops at the border of the petrol station: a symbol of industrialisation

The animals

A peach tree in flower dominates the painting

without trying to detect specific objects or subjects

which the Impressionists appreciated so much at the time

creating a dynamic yet soothing atmosphere