Bonnets, Blessings, and Brawls: Gauguin’s Wrestling with the Unseen

In this episode of The Bigger Picture, art historian Dr Peter Tuka delivers an in‑depth art history podcast analysis of Paul Gauguin’s Vision after the Sermon (1888), a landmark work of Post‑Impressionism and Symbolist painting. Blending vivid storytelling with scholarly insight, the episode explores Synthetism, Cloisonnism, Japanese ukiyo‑e influence, and Gauguin’s radical use of bold colour, flattened perspective, and symbolic form to express religious vision and spiritual experience in modern art. Listeners are guided through the Biblical narrative of Jacob wrestling with the angel, while uncovering how Gauguin transformed this story into a powerful meditation on collectivebelief, Breton Catholic spirituality, and mystical imagination ratherthan a literal religious scene. Set against Gauguin’s break from Impressionism, his life crisis, and his search for meaning beyond modern urban life, this episode connects 19th‑century art, religion, psychology, and symbolism in a compelling way. Perfect for fans of Gauguin, Symbolism, religious imagery in art, art interpretation, famous paintings explained, and modern art history, this episode invites you to look beyond surface appearances and discover how art becomes a mirror of the human soul.Artworks mentioned:Paul Gauguin, Vision after the Sermon (Jacob Wrestling with the Angel), 1888, oil on canvas, Scottish National Gallery, EdinburghPaul Gauguin, ⁠Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?⁠, 1897-1898, oil on canvas, Museum of Fine Arts, BostonRembrandt, Jacob Wrestling with the Angel, c.1659, oil on canvas, Gemäldegalerie, BerlinEugène Delacroix, Jacob Wrestling with the Angel, 1854-1861, mural, Chapel of the Holy Angels in the Church of Saint-Sulpice, ParisInstagram : ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thebiggerpicture.arthistory/⁠