The Flageolet Player On The Cliff 1889 - Paul Gauguin Signature Poster

In this painting, a man, dressed in a blue shirt and dark pants, stands on the narrow path closest to the viewer and plays a flageolet, a small, vertical flute. The woman, in a dark dress and white bonnet, stands behind him on the path. She carries a scythe over her shoulder. The couple is dwarfed by the vastness of the scene. The cliff they stand on dips sharply down to the churning ocean below. The ocean takes up most of the background. In the foreground, to the right of the couple, there is a small patch of yellow representing wheat. The sky is a swirling mix of blue and green. The use of contrasting colors and the unusual, high vantage point contribute to the painting’s dramatic effect.