Man with a Toque

Paul Gauguin rendered this portrait of a man wearing a toque, a close-fitting cap. The work demonstrates Gauguin's Post-Impressionist approach to portraiture: bold outlines, flattened forms, and expressive color that moved beyond Impressionist naturalism toward something more symbolic and psychological.

Gauguin sought to capture character and essence rather than mere likeness. His portraits often seem to peer into their subjects' inner lives with an intensity that disturbed contemporary viewers accustomed to flattering society portraits. This work hangs at the Fogg Museum at Harvard University.