The Wave ☳ Gauguin ☵ Canvas tronie with a large cypress on

with a large cypress on the left

Light from the diner illuminates a dark and deserted street

the most expensive blue pigment available in the 17th century

The Adoration of the Magi (1475) by Hieronymus Bosch is an unusual depiction of a popular religious theme

I was painting the loneliness of a large city

The Wave ☳ Gauguin ☵ Canvas tronie with a large cypress onThe Wave (1888, La Vague) by Paul Gauguin was painted during a trip to Brittany, France. It characterizes his evolving style from realistic portraits and landscapes to more symbolic representations. The perspective and scale, lack of horizon, and rainbow of color open the scene up to deeper interpretation. Painted from overhead (a bluff overlooking the beach), it depicts the rocks and waves of the ocean, with two beachgoers running in the surf.