The Talisman - Paul Sérusier

A seminal work of the Nabis movement, this 1888 oil sketch by Paul Sérusier demonstrates a radical approach to colour and form.

Painted in 1888, The Talisman is a small oil sketch on wood panel that occupies a unique position in the history of modern art. Paul Sérusier created this work under the direct guidance of Paul Gauguin in the Bois d'Amour at Pont-Aven. Gauguin instructed Sérusier to abandon the imitation of nature in favour of expressing his own subjective vision through pure colour and simplified form.

The composition is a radical departure from the academic traditions of the period. Sérusier applied patches of unmixed, flat colour to the panel, representing the trees, the water, and the foliage as abstract shapes rather than realistic depictions. The resulting image is a synthesis of the physical environment and the artist's internal response to it. The palette is dominated by bold yellows, deep greens, and stark blues, which create a sense of rhythm across the surface of the wood.

This work became a foundational object for the Nabis, a group of artists who sought to move beyond the visual recording of the world. By prioritising the decorative and expressive qualities of the paint itself, Sérusier shifted the focus of painting toward the autonomy of the canvas. The small scale of the panel, originally a cigar box lid, belies its influence on the development of synthetic painting. It remains a primary example of how the application of colour can dictate the structure of a composition, independent of traditional perspective or naturalistic light. This print captures the raw, experimental energy of the original, preserving the visible brushwork and the deliberate, non-representational choices that defined the Nabis aesthetic.