Cattle Drinking - Paul Gauguin

A rural scene by Paul Gauguin, painted in 1885, featuring cattle near a stream amidst a wooded setting.

Painted in 1885 during his time in Copenhagen, this work captures a rural scene defined by the artist's early experimentation with colour and form. Paul Gauguin, before his departure for the tropics, spent a period in Denmark where he produced several works depicting the local countryside. This composition features cattle grazing and drinking near a stream, framed by tall, slender tree trunks that create a rhythmic verticality across the canvas.

The application of paint is characteristic of Gauguin's transition away from the soft, atmospheric techniques of Impressionism. He employs visible, directional brushstrokes to define the foliage and the texture of the bark, while the palette relies on a combination of earthy tones and bright, almost artificial yellows. The light filters through the trees, creating patches of illumination on the grass and the water, which contrasts with the shaded areas in the foreground.

Unlike his later, more symbolic works, this painting remains grounded in the observation of nature. The cattle are rendered with a focus on their physical presence within the environment, rather than as decorative elements. The spatial arrangement is relatively shallow, with the trees acting as a screen that separates the viewer from the deeper background. This approach to composition reflects the artist's interest in the structural qualities of the image, a concern that would occupy him throughout his career. The work provides a view into the artist's technical development, showing his move towards the flattened planes and bold colour choices that would define his later output in Brittany and Polynesia.