Volpini Suite: Laundresses (Les Laveuses)

Gauguin discovered an exotic, primitive culture in Brittany, a rugged region on the Atlantic coast in northwestern France. He then sought to translate into expressive forms the picturesque costumes, customs, and special spirituality of the peasants. The unusual point of view, the stylization of the frothing water, and the cropped cow at the lower left all betray the influence of Japanese woodblock prints, which became popular in France from the early 1860s. The twelve lithographs in this set, printed from zinc plates rather than stones, were Gauguin's first attempts at printmaking. To heighten the decorative effect, the lithographs were printed onto large sheets of bright yellow paper.