Jahkeeta and Kristian, Dreams within a Dream, 2010

Inspired by Paul Gauguin, Te Rerioa (The Dream), 1897.

We chose this painting because it is mysterious. The whole idea of the painting being a dream appealed to us because the subjects of the painting are uncertain – the artist didn’t tell us what the dream is so it leaves us with a feeling of curiosity. He does present us with the possibilities and that’s what we have chosen to animate.

The artist, Paul Gauguin had a very interesting and adventurous life style, painting not only in France but also in many other places, such as Tahiti, where Te Rerioa is set. The main element of the painting that we liked most was the fact that it really makes the viewer think deeply about what is happening in the scene.

Inspired by:

Paul Gauguin, Te Rerioa (The Dream), 1897

Paul Gauguin, Te Rerioa (The Dream), 1897

Te Rerioa was painted during Gauguin’s second stay in Tahiti. It shows two women watching over a sleeping child in a room decorated with elaborate wood reliefs. The figures do not communicate, heightening the sense of mystery. Gauguin meant the subject to be unclear. He wrote, Everything is a dream in this canvas: is it the child? is it the mother? is it the horseman on the path? or even is it the dream of the painter!!! He inscribed the Tahitian word for dream in the lower part of the composition but misspelled it: it should read ‘rereioa’.