description Vision After the Sermon Overview
Vision After the Sermon is an 1888 painting by Paul Gauguin in which Breton women envision the biblical struggle between Jacob and an angel after hearing a sermon. A diagonally placed tree separates the observing women from the visionary encounter, which unfolds against a broad red field rather than a naturalistic landscape. Its simplified forms, strong outlines, and symbolic color mark Gauguin's move away from Impressionist observation toward a more subjective art.
insights Ranking position
Vision After the Sermon ranks #64 of 160 in the Painting ranking, behind The Swing, ahead of The Elevation of the Cross.
help Vision After the Sermon FAQ
What vision are the Breton women seeing after the sermon?
They imagine Jacob wrestling an angel, a story from the Book of Genesis. Gauguin separates the praying women from the vision with the diagonal trunk of an apple tree.
Why is the ground bright red in Vision After the Sermon?
The flat vermilion field rejects naturalistic landscape color and signals that the wrestling scene is a spiritual vision. It also intensifies the contrast with the women's white Breton caps and dark clothing.
How did Japanese prints influence Vision After the Sermon?
Gauguin used flattened space, strong outlines, abrupt cropping, and a dramatically placed tree. These devices reflect the influence of Japanese ukiyo-e prints, which circulated widely among European artists in the nineteenth century.
Where is Gauguin's Vision After the Sermon?
The 1888 painting belongs to the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh. Gauguin made it while working in Pont-Aven, Brittany, shortly before his turbulent period with Vincent van Gogh in Arles.
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