© Kunstmuseum Basel, Martin P. Bühler

When Will You Marry?

1892

Paul Gauguin

Oil on canvas

40.6×25.7 cm

Collection of the Kunstmuseum Basel, Belgium

In 1891, Paul Gauguin first visited Tahiti with the hope of finding an idyllic paradise where he could create pure “primitive” art. Tahiti had its own charm, and Gauguin believed that the women on the island possessed an indescribable quality, with penetrating power and a profound sense of mystery.

The painting When Will You Marry? (NAFEA faa ipoipo) uses a title in the Māori language, the poses of the women, the contrast in their attire, and their expressions to imply an emotional situation. A sensuous woman dressed in a colorful wraparound skirt called “pareu” crouches on the ground, turned away. In contrast, another more reserved woman sits upright, dressed in a missionary-style outfit and pointing outside the frame. Her gesture could be derived from Buddhist art, indicating a warning or threat.

The flowers in the foreground character’s hair suggest her interest in a husband or lover, while the second figure is interpreted as another aspect of the first character. Gauguin’s young companion, Teha’amana (Tehura), may have served as the inspiration for these two figures—one representing the Tahitian woman of his dreams, and the other representing the woman in his reality.