No te aha oe riri (Why Are You Angry?)

2026-08-14

No te aha oe riri (Why Are You Angry?)

Paul Gauguin (French, 1848–1903)

Date
1896
Origin
France
Medium
Oil on jute canvas
Dimensions
95.3 × 130.6 cm (37 1/2 × 51 3/8 in.); Framed: 116.6 × 153.1 × 6.7 cm (45 7/8 × 60 1/4 × 2 5/8 in.)
Credit
Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection

In this large-scale canvas, one of several Paul Gauguin sent back to France in 1897, women of varying ages appear to go about daily life within a colorful, stylized outdoor environment. Like much of the artist’s work, this painting combines observed detail with artistic fantasy to create a dreamlike scene whose narrative resists simple interpretation. The work’s deliberately provocative title enhances this effect, leaving us to wonder if the “you” refers to someone in the painting or to the viewer.