Studies of Horse and kneeling Woman (Field 57)

Gauguin's entirely self-taught approach to the monotype was driven by necessity and informed by his extensive experience of printing woodcuts. He reduced the process to its barest essentials - a drawing was placed on top of a second sheet of paper that had been rolled-up with ink. The drawing was then re-drawn, pressing down onto the inked sheet below, picking up ink. The result was a sheet with a drawing on one side, and a monotype on the other, as here. Although primitive it was extremely flexible.