In the Waves (Dans les Vagues)
Painted at Pont-Aven in northwest France, this depiction of a nude figure throwing herself into the sea suggests a metaphor for a modern European woman forsaking civilization and abandoning herself to her natural, primitive instincts. The simplified lines and exaggerated colors, especially the contrasting green and orange, seem invented rather than observed from life. Exhibiting the painting at the Café Volpini in Paris in 1889, Gauguin established himself as a leader of the Symbolist movement in art.
Colors in this work
Details
- Date
- 1889
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- framed: height 1.238 m, width 1.06 m, depth 0.07 m; unframed: height 0.925 m, width 0.724 m
- Origin
- France, 19th century
- Department
- Modern European Painting and Sculpture
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Palette
-
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- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William Powell Jones
Art Genome Taxonomy
12 tags
Subject Matter
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Nude Both · 100%
A nude human figure occupies most of the composition; the museum description also identifies the subject as a nude figure.
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Human Figure Visual · 99%
The image clearly depicts a single anatomically recognizable human figure, seen from behind with the face concealed.
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Water Both · 99%
The figure is surrounded by curling surf and appears to be entering the sea, which is also specified in the museum description.
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Figures in Nature Both · 96%
A human figure is depicted within a natural aquatic environment, with waves surrounding and partly overlapping the body.
Styles and Movements
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Symbolism Metadata · 97%
The museum states that Gauguin established himself as a leader of the Symbolist movement through the painting’s exhibition at the Café Volpini in Paris in 1889.
Visual Qualities
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Curvilinear Forms Visual · 97%
Sweeping wave bands, arcing limbs, and the curved back organize the composition through repeated rounded forms.
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Bright and Vivid Colors Both · 97%
Deep green water contrasts with pale flesh tones and reddish-orange hair; the museum specifically emphasizes the contrasting green and orange colors.
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Dynamism Visual · 95%
The extended limbs, diagonal body, and repeated curling waves produce a pronounced sense of movement across the picture plane.
Medium and Techniques
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Painting Both · 100%
The museum classifies the work as a painting, and the image visibly presents a painted composition.
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Oil Painting Metadata · 100%
The Cleveland Museum of Art identifies the medium as oil on canvas.
Time Periods
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19th Century Art Metadata · 100%
The work is dated 1889, placing it within the nineteenth century.
Geographic Regions
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French Art Metadata · 99%
The museum identifies Gauguin as French and gives the place of origin as France, nineteenth century; the work was painted at Pont-Aven in France.
Source & rights
Paul Gauguin (French, 1848–1903). In the Waves (Dans les Vagues). Cleveland Museum of Art.
High-resolution sources
- Original TIFF ↗ 11,539 × 14,827 · Cleveland Museum Of Art · Available