Beyond Te Nave Nave Fenua
Gauguin's Te Nave Nave Fenua displayed very clear Christian symbolism, but after painting this piece Gauguin took a step back from this obvious symbolism and used more subtle Christian symbolism in his paintings between 1892 and 1896. In Te Nave Nave Fenua our attention is drawn to the Christian symbolism and the lush Tahitian landscape. In later paintings, however the Christian symbolism is sometimes masked behind the presence of other religious symbolism. Let us examine two such paintings.
The Day of the God (1894)
Oil on canvas
The Art Institute of Chicago
The Day of the God is the first of these paintings. Created in 1894, the painting at first glance is undeniably Tahitian in its religious overtones. The idol in the center of the picture is certainly not a European figure; not the Judeo-Christian God. As Robert Goldwater notes, the figure is “Taaroa, central figure of the Maori pantheon” and that the two women in white are bringing gifts in Taaroa’s honor while the two women in orange dance for the idol (Goldwater 126) . Clearly there is a Tahitian religious influence in this piece. The setting itself – from the people to the landscape – is Tahitian and the bright colors suggest the exotic lands of the South Pacific. But upon more careful consideration, we see that there is also a very Biblical reference in this piece, a reference to the Old Testament Story of Noah, the ark, and the great flood. In the painting, there are people – native Tahitians by appearance – seeming to emerge from the water surrounding them onto this colorful land. They are worshipping the god that sits in the center of the land, brining him praise and offerings. The fact that the god that Gauguin chooses to depict is of little matter; it is the parallel of this painting with the Biblical story of Noah that is notable. In this painting, Gauguin delicately inserts a Christian reference into this scene of a seeming Tahitian utopia.
The Poor Fisherman (1896)
Oil on canvas
Museu de Arte de Syo Paulo Assis Chateaubriand
The Poor Fisherman, painted by Gauguin in 1896, is a little less subtle in its Christian references. The title of the piece alone conjures up thoughts of the New Testament of the Bible and Jesus’ call for his disciples to be “fishers of men” and to give up earthly possessions. In this piece, Gauguin places a native Tahitian man beside a small fishing boat, gaze directed downward. In the background waves crash against the rocks of an exotic looking shore an there is a straw lean-to on the beach. Once again, Gauguin has crafted a scene with subtle Biblical references in an obviously Tahitian setting.