Paul Gauguin - Still Life with Three Puppies 1888

Still Life with Three Puppies 1888
Still Life with Three Puppies
1888 91x62cm oil/wood
Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA

« previous picture | 1880s Gauguin Paintings | next picture »

From Museum of Modern Art, New York:
When Gauguin painted Still Life with Three Puppies he was living in Brittany among a group of experimental painters. He abandoned naturalistic depictions and colors, declaring that “art is an abstraction” to be derived “from nature while dreaming before it.” The puppies’ bodies, for example, are outlined in bold blue, and the patterning of their coats mirrors the botanical print of the tablecloth. It is thought that Gauguin drew stylistic inspiration for this painting from children’s-book illustrations and from Japanese prints, which were introduced to him by his friend and fellow artist Vincent van Gogh that year.