View of river
‘We also have a second painting by him which he exchanged for a study of mine, a dried-up river with purple mud and pools of water that reflect the pure cobalt blue of the sky, green grass’, Vincent wrote to his sister Wil about the painting On the Banks of the River at Martinique.
Paul Gauguin, Study of Martinican Women, 1887, private collection, Switzerland
Life study
Gauguin took a lot of time getting to grips with a subject. He used this life study in his view of the river, where the seated woman is seen in mirror image. Her dress is blue instead of white.