The Green Christ

The Green Christ (in French: Le Christ vert) is a painting executed by Paul Gauguin in autumn 1889 in Pont-Aven, Brittany, France. Together with The Yellow Christ, it is considered to be one of the key-works of Symbolism in painting. It depicts a Breton woman at the foot of a calvary, or sculpture of Christ's crucifixion. Calvaries are common in town squares in Brittany. The woman appears to be hiding from a pair of figures in the distant background; the green christ providing her cover from the figures.

The Green Christ
ArtistPaul Gauguin
Year1889
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions92 cm × 73 cm (36.2 in × 28.7 in)
LocationRoyal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium

Topographically, the site depicted is the Atlantic coast at Le Pouldu. But the calvary depicted is an amalgam of calvaires from different site; the cross is based upon that in the centre of Névez, a community close to Pont-Aven and several miles from the coast, and the figure of Christ is based upon the calvaire at Briec - also some distance from the sea.

See also
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