New Acquisition: ‘Clovis Sleeping’ by Paul Gauguin [Van Gogh Museum]:
Clovis Sleeping was a breakthrough, and precipitated the Symbolic style for which he became renowned….
Extraordinarily, Gauguin painted Clovis and the tankard from life, but blended in imaginary elements. The decorative motif in the background suggests the sleeping child’s dream world. This adds symbolism, ambiguity and mystery to the work.
By painting his child’s dream, Gauguin demonstrated how he thought about art: the world of ideas and the imagination. This contrasted distinctly with the notion of observation-based art, which was more conventional at the time, and this distinguished him from his mentors Camille Pissarro (1830–1903) and Paul Cézanne (1839-1906).
The influence of these mentors is clearly evident in the painting technique of Clovis Sleeping. The pronounced, parallel brushstrokes and complementary colour contrasts are borrowed from Cézanne. The work is an exquisite example of Gauguin’s period as a highly accomplished Impressionist.