Maggiesblog: Research : Monoprinting, Paul Gaugin and Edgar Degas

Research : Monoprinting, Paul Gaugin and Edgar Degas

Paul Gaugin (1848-1903)

Paul Gaugin’s oil transfer drawings are examples of his innovative works on paper. They are a type of monoprint in that they are a “one off” and cannot be exactly reproduced. An oil transfer drawing is a hybrid medium of drawing and print that Paul Gauguin invented while living in Tahiti in 1899. This is the type of monoprint I illustrated and discussed in an earlier post (30/04/20) - a monoprint/transfer drawing of a warehouse hoist.

The example below by Gaugin stands out for its monumental scale and magisterial presence.

Paul Gauguin. Tahitian Woman with Evil Spirit (recto). c. 1900. Oil transfer drawing. The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Each transfer drawing is a double-sided work with a drawing on one side (the verso), and an oil transfer on the other (the recto).

Paul Gauguin. Tahitian Woman with Evil Spirit. c. 1900. Verso: graphite and coloured pencil; recto: oil transfer drawing. The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Gaugin’s experimented with monotypes and transfer drawings combining elements of painting, drawing, and printmaking. He drew inspiration from Christianity, Polynesian myth, ancient monuments and motifs from European predecessors and contemporaries.

Gauguin described the process in a March 1902 letter to his patron Gustave Fayet: “First you roll out printer’s ink on a sheet of paper of any sort; then lay a second sheet on top of it and draw whatever pleases you. The harder and thinner your pencil (as well as your paper), the finer will be the resulting line.” The pressure of the pencil caused the ink from the bottom sheet to transfer to the back of the top sheet. When the sheets were peeled apart, the transferred image became the final work of art.

Gauguin used sharp graphite pencils and softer blue pencils to delineate the figures; these lines appear as black ink on the recto. He subsequently added the olive tone to the recto by covering another sheet of paper with olive ink, laying his sheet with the black ink transfer on top, and applying pressure selectively to enable the transfer of ink. With this technique, Gauguin was able to almost magically transform his images.

Gauguin was enchanted with this process and with the way it transformed the texture of his lines and introduced an element of chance into the creative process. The incidental markings, blurred lines, and earthy tones of the transfer suggest an image unearthed from a lost time. The subject of a beautiful woman haunted by a mysterious spirit is a repeated motif throughout Gauguin’s work.

Tahitian Woman with Evil Spirit, traced monotype, 1899/1900

Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

Edgar Degas is best known as a painter, but as a in the mid-1870s he was introduced to the monotype process—drawing in ink on a metal plate that was then run through a press, typically resulting in a single print. He then immersed himself in the technique and was captivated by its potential. The monotype allowed Degas to use the medium as a starting point from which an image could be reworked and revised. He began to incorporate paint into the prints and would make second prints to which he would add pastel. Monotype also opened a door to spontaneity, both in his images of figures and landscapes.