The image displays flowing, curvilinear lines and shapes giving it an abstract quality. The forms suggest figures and natural elements. Shapes in the upper portion resemble standing or walking figures. In the center and lower areas, lines sweep and curve to imply a flowing surface resembling water, and a form of a person beside a tree. The composition is filled with dynamic and organic shapes, creating an impression of a landscape with human activity, abstracted to emphasize fluidity and movement. Bold black and white contrasts add depth and enhance details within the shapes.

Gallery mode Full size at the museum

Mahana Atua (Day of the Gods)

Paul Gauguin (French, 1848 - 1903)

printer Pola Gauguin (Danish, born France, 1883-1961)

publisher Christian Cato

1894, printed 1921

Medium: woodcut on China paper
Classification: Print
Dimensions: image: 18.2 × 20.3 cm (7 3/16 × 8 in.) ; sheet: 26.3 × 42.8 cm (10 3/8 × 16 7/8 in.)
Culture: French
Museum: National Gallery of Art, CG-E
Credit line: Rosenwald Collection
Rights: Public domain (NGA Open Access, CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it: Teens profiles and older: its subject is for older viewers (war, death, the Passion, drink or the like). How works are placed

View at the National Gallery of Art

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