Enfance de Bretagne

At the right of the horizontal canvas two girls in white caps and aprons stand side by side, and at the left a figure leans far forward as if tying the laces of wooden clogs. A thick tree trunk stands in the background, and bright yellow, green, and orange color the grass and trees. At the lower left are written the signature and date "P. Gauguin 89" and the title "Enfance de Bretagne."

It is characterized by enclosing the figures' outlines in distinct lines and building the picture from flat planes of color. In the grass, short lines are layered vertically, making use of the grainy texture of pastel. The girls' caps and wooden clogs are things that Gauguin liked to paint as the local dress of Brittany.

Gauguin gave up work as a stockbroker to become a painter, and from 1886 stayed in Brittany, where, together with his companions, he painted the simple life of the region. His expression through outlines and flat planes of color connected to his later works in Tahiti.

This work, on paper measuring 26.3 cm in height and 38.2 cm in width, was purchased by the Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art in fiscal 1983. The museum introduces it as a representative piece among its overseas works, including Impressionism.