# Pleasures of Brittany (Joies de Bretagne)

**Paul Gauguin** (French, 1848–1903)  
1889  
lithograph (zinc) on yellow wove paper  
sheet: 31.5 × 48.8 cm (12 3/8 × 19 3/16 in.)

Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1978.54.1. [The museum's record](https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.56695.html).

## About this work

Two Breton women in traditional dress, one in a striped apron, walk arm in arm among haystacks, with a dog nearby and a spire in the distance. The print belongs to the Volpini Suite, a set of eleven zincographs on bright yellow paper that Gauguin made in 1889 and showed at the Café des Arts, run by Monsieur Volpini, during the Paris Universal Exposition. Their flat shapes and bold outlines, inspired by Japanese prints and folk imagery, announced the new style Gauguin and his circle were developing in Brittany.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

Paul Gauguin made this in 1889, aged 41. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

### What you’re looking at

The image shows two women walking arm in arm, both in traditional attire. One woman is facing away with a slight profile, while the other is seen from the side. Their faces are stylized and simplistic with covered hair. They wear long dresses with aprons and collars, and one has a striped apron. Haystacks and greenery surround them. Faint figures are in the background, as well as a spire-like structure. A dog is seen near the haystack, with simple lines suggesting a landscape.

_Description from the National Gallery of Art._

### How it was made

- **Lithograph.** Drawn on limestone with a greasy crayon or ink. The stone is kept damp, and the oily printing ink clings only to the drawing. Invented in the 1790s, it let artists print exactly as they drew.

### [Paul Gauguin](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/paul-gauguin)

French, 1848–1903; born in Paris; died in Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands

Gauguin worked as a Paris stockbroker and collected the Impressionists before taking up painting full time in the 1880s, showing in the last five Impressionist exhibitions. At Pont-Aven in Brittany he developed a style of flat colour and bold outline, and in 1888 he spent nine turbulent weeks with Van Gogh in Arles. Seeking a simpler world, he sailed for Tahiti in 1891 and spent most of his remaining years in French Polynesia, dying in the Marquesas.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Print
- The artist was 41
- Real size: about 12 × 19 in (32 × 49 cm). The 16 × 20 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 19th century
- Movement: [Post-Impressionism](https://www.ochreeditions.com/movements/post-impressionism)
- Subjects: Costume, Nature, animal, Female figure
- Colour: gold
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1588.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1588/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86; 24 × 36 in $108
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208; 24 × 36 in $258
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118; 20 × 30 in $148
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5; 24 × 36 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/pleasures-of-brittany-joies-de-bretagne-nga-56695).