Description
Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? by Paul Gauguin unfolds across a wide tropical landscape populated by people, animals and a blue idol. A sleeping infant lies at the far right, while a standing figure near the center reaches upward to pick fruit. At the left, an elderly woman sits with her hands beside her head. Dark blue trees and green ground weave around the groups, and the warm tones of the figures give the long composition a strong visual rhythm.
Painted in 1897–98, the work explores origins, identity and destiny. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston explains that Gauguin described the composition in his letters as proceeding from right to left, beginning with the infant and ending with an elderly woman nearing death. This sequence connects birth, adult life and approaching death, while the varied gestures and watchful faces keep the scene open to reflection. The questions inscribed in the upper-left corner give that reflection its direction.
Color and scale give the painting much of its impact. The central figure’s upward reach contrasts with the seated and reclining bodies, while the blue idol adds a still, ceremonial presence behind them. Yellow corners frame the inscription and signature; Gauguin intended these areas to suggest an aged mural. Across the canvas, broad shapes and strong outlines hold intimate gestures within an expansive setting, making the viewer move between individual lives and the larger questions posed by the title.
Read our guide to giclée prints, browse more Paul Gauguin prints, or explore The Siesta.
