Multianalytical Study of “Le Sorcier d’hiva Oa” by Gauguin

Although there is abundant literature on the worldwide famous French painter, Paul Gauguin, very little is known concerning his painting techniques and materials. The present research aims to throw a new light on Gauguin’s œuvre through the in depth study of Le Sorcier d’ Hiva Oa, painted by Gauguin during his stay in French Polynesia in 1902, by means of non-invasive imaging and analytical techniques. While the infrared reflectography examination of the painting revealed how the artist achieved his final composition, the results obtained by Raman spectroscopy and X ray fluorescence spectroscopy in punctual and mapping modes allowed identifying the different pigments he combined to obtain the bright color shades characterizing this artwork.