Merahi metua no Tehamana

Date: 1893
Medium: oil on canvas
Location: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
Dimensions: 54 x 76

In the painting Paul Gauguin presents his wife, Teha'amana, during his first visit to Tahati between 1891 and 1893. Their marriage has always attracted attention, having been said to have been contracted in a single afternoon. Teha'amana was 13 years old at the time. Such marriages were no exception, many French colonists married indigenous women, called vahine (Tahitian for "woman"). They were often very young and their dowries were arranged by their parents - thus the family achieved a better social status and often an improvement in their financial situation. The daughters usually did not protest, as this marriage was not binding and they could return home at any time. Similarly, Teha'amana refused to continue their relationship when Paul Gauguin returned to Tahiti in 1895. Teha'amana was not Gauguin's only wife, he maintained three wives during the years 1891-1893. Teha'amana was also a model for painting other works, e.g.: Faaturuma .

Gauguin painted picture Merahi metua no Tehamana in 1893. Prevailing color of this fine art print is vivid and its shape is portrait. Original size is 54 x 76. This art piece is located in Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. This image is printed on demand - you can choose material, size and finishing.

Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (1848-1903). French painter and a leading figure of Postimpressionism. His experiments with colour strongly influenced modern art of the early 20th century. As one of the first, he subscribed to primitivism: simplified and exaggerated contours of the body, strong and contrasting colours. This artistic style was partly due his admiration for the art of the primitive cultures of Africa, Micronesia and North American Indians. Gauguin himself had the opportunity to experience life on Tahiti, where he resided from 1891 until his death. It was in Polynesia that he created his most famous paintings.