Oviri

Oviri: A Masterpiece of Ceramic Art

Imagine a sculpture that captures the essence of a wild and untamed spirit, a figure so powerful it can hold a wolf cub to her hip while smothering another with her feet. This is Oviri, an 1894 ceramic masterpiece by Paul Gauguin, based on Tahitian mythology’s goddess of mourning.

Who was Oviri? She is depicted as a savage or wild figure with long pale hair and wild eyes, embodying the raw power and emotion of her mythological origins. Gauguin created three casts in partially glazed stoneware, with the original cast now residing in the Musée d’Orsay.

Why did Gauguin create Oviri? He was introduced to ceramics by Ernest Chaplet in 1886 and collaborated on stoneware pots with applied figures. His visit to Tahiti in 1891 further inspired his work, leading him to create sculptural mask-like portraits that later influenced the Oviri piece.

The Sculpture’s Details

Oviri is depicted with long blonde or grey hair reaching to her knees, a disproportionately large head and eyes, and an aperture at the back of her head resembling a vaginal orifice. She holds a wolf cub to her hip, symbolizing her indifference and wild power.

Several plaster and bronze casts exist, including versions created by Chaplet and other artists. The pose invokes ideas of sacrifice, infanticide, and the archetype of the vengeful mother, influenced by Eugène Delacroix’s 1838 painting, Medea About to Kill Her Children.

A second animal, likely another wolf, is at her feet either curling in submission or dead. Art historians suggest this second animal may represent Gauguin himself, adding a layer of personal symbolism to the piece.

The Symbolism and Influence

The association between Oviri and a wolf stems from a remark Edgar Degas made defending Gauguin’s work at the poorly received 1893 Durand-Ruel exhibition. Gauguin’s representation of Oviri is largely a work of imagination, informed by his ‘little world of friends’ and sources from Java, Egypt, and Assyria.

Oviri’s head seems based on mummified skulls of chieftains in the Marquesas Islands, whose eye sockets were traditionally encrusted with mother-of-pearl. Art historians have put forward various theories as to the seeming multiplicity of meanings inherent in Gauguin’s representation, including themes of death and superstition.

It reflects the artist’s view of female sexuality; a common motif in 19th century art was the connection between long, wild hair and evil femininity. Oviri invokes the Polynesian goddess Hina, depicted by Morice as a Diana-like deity clutching a wolf cub, ‘monstrous and majestic, drunk with pride, rage and sorrow.’

Gauguin used double mirrors to capture his Inca profile, titled an 1894 self-portrait in plaster as Oviri, the savage. He sometimes also referred to himself as Oviri, the savage, and it was the title of a favourite Tahitian song—a melancholy tune of love and longing that mentions the subject’s ‘savage, restless heart.’

The Legacy

Noa Noa (Tahitian for ‘fragrance’) is Gauguin’s written project examining his Tahitian experience, which he accompanied with a series of ten woodcuts. Oviri failed to sell at the Salon de la Nationale but was eventually bought by Gustave Fayet for 1,500 francs after Gauguin’s death.

The posthumous retrospective exhibitions at the Salon d’Automne in 1903 and 1906 celebrated Gauguin and led directly to Les Demoiselles d’Avignon in 1907. Picasso became an aficionado of Gauguin in 1902, influenced by his friend Paco Durrio’s efforts to promote his work.

Gauguin’s exhibition in 1906 left Picasso more than ever in thrall, demonstrating the potential for combining disparate art forms and tapping a new source of divine energy. The statue Oviri was a major influence on Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, stimulating Picasso’s interest in sculpture, ceramics, and printmaking.

A bronze version of Oviri sold at Christie’s New York for US$251,200 in 2006. Gauguin asked that Oviri be placed on his grave, indicating he saw the figure as his alter ego. She suggests the orifice is a pars pro toto for the woman who infected him.

The anthropologist Paul van der Grijp believes Oviri was intended as an epithet to reinforce Gauguin’s persona as a ‘civilised savage.’ In his final letter to Morice, Gauguin wrote that he is a savage and that his work is inimitable. Oviri failed to sell at the Salon de la Nationale but was eventually bought by Gustave Fayet for 1,500 francs after Gauguin’s death.

The posthumous retrospective exhibitions at the Salon d’Automne in 1903 and 1906 celebrated Gauguin and led directly to Les Demoiselles d’Avignon in 1907. Picasso became an aficionado of Gauguin in 1902, influenced by his friend Paco Durrio’s efforts to promote his work.

Gauguin’s exhibition in 1906 left Picasso more than ever in thrall, demonstrating the potential for combining disparate art forms and tapping a new source of divine energy. The statue Oviri was a major influence on Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, stimulating Picasso’s interest in sculpture, ceramics, and printmaking.

Through Oviri, Gauguin not only captured the essence of his Tahitian experiences but also paved the way for future generations of artists to explore new forms of expression. This powerful piece continues to inspire and captivate art lovers around the world.