Ia Orana Maria (Hail Mary)
The Met
Artist: Paul Gauguin(French, Paris 1848–1903 Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands)
Date: 1891
Department: European Paintings
Classification: Paintings
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 44 3/4 x 34 1/2 in. (113.7 x 87.6 cm)
Credit Line: Bequest of Sam A. Lewisohn, 1951
Visual Descriptions
AI GeneratedVisual Summary
Brief Description
Woman with child, two other women, and an angel in a tropical landscape
Detailed Description
In the foreground, at the bottom center, a large arrangement of yellow and green bananas and other light-colored fruits rests in a dark bowl on the green ground. Below this, a yellow band contains the black text "IA ORANA MARIA". On the right side, a woman with dark skin stands facing forward, wearing a long, flowing red garment patterned with white floral designs. She has dark hair and holds a white flower in her hands, which are clasped at her waist. A small, nude child with light green skin and a faint yellow halo sits on her right shoulder, looking down and to the left. The child's left arm is around the woman's head. To the left of this central woman, two other women with dark skin stand barefoot, facing slightly right. The woman closer to the center wears a white sarong, while the woman to her left wears a blue sarong with yellow patterns. Both have dark hair and their hands are clasped in front of them. Further to the left, partially obscured by dense foliage, a figure with light blue wings and a yellow garment is visible, looking towards the two women. The background is filled with dense green foliage, including trees with white and pink blossoms. A path or body of water runs horizontally behind the figures. In the upper left, a light blue and white sky with hints of yellow is visible above distant, dark mountains.
Generated by gemini-2.5-flash
