Breton women at the barrier

This striking representation appears to superimpose two distinct images. On the right, two Breton women. One, with her back turned and hands on her hips, wears an imposing two-handled headdress and a wide collar, usually worn for ceremonies. The second woman, in profile, is dressed in a gown that seems to dissolve into numerous nebulous patches. The outline defining her profile creates a dividing line with the other scene. In a rural, hilly setting, behind the fence, a highly stylized figure, seated with its back to the camera in the grass, forms a dark, misshapen mass that seems imprisoned. Gauguin favored the motif of the fence for its symbolic significance as a separation between two worlds and for the object's graphic aesthetic.