Vision After the Sermon

Vision After the Sermon exhibits Gauguin's departure from Impressionism and plunge into the post-impressionist world. Painted in Brittany, France, this piece illustrates the Old Testament story of Jacob wrestling the angel, which is said to represent humanity's struggle with faith. In the foreground Breton women dressed in their traditional garb, black dresses and white bonnets, watch the skirmish between the two figures. As the title suggests, the painting portrays the women's experience after hearing a sermon, suggesting that the message may have been controversial. Gauguin uses bold, primary colors to paint his composition, playing with the idea of color theory and contrasts. He experiments with a technique called cloissonism, an effect that resembles stained glass or enamel objects.Gauguin also employs inspiration from Japanese woodblock prints, a slightly tilted down perspective that symbolizes the transient, "floating world". Breaking from the banal landscapes and cityscapes typical of impressionist artists, Paul Gauguin sought to portray religious scenes in a contemporary way. His use of solid fields of color separated by thin contours is a truly unique interpretation of impressionist ideals. Something the artist received major backlash for was the strange composition of the painting. An abstract tree trunk virtually cuts the image in half, separating the Bretons from  Jacob and the angel, dividing the dream from reality.