Visions of an Enduring World: Jacoulet and the People of Oceania

Adornments of Paradise

The body as an aesthetic form adorned with tattoos, clothing, and jewelry is an important theme of Pacific cultures. In the Marshall Islands tattooing is a decorative device urged by the gods and embedded in social and economic life. Clothing and adornments can mark sanctity, rank, and wealth of the people who wear it. Jacoulet’s portraits often feature adornments that refer to subtle cultural markers of status within Pacific societies. Within his interpretation of these cultures, however, he tends to change the appearances of his subjects into exoticized “types” that were better received then his original watercolors. He also insisted the islanders posed in their traditional outfits rather than their modern clothes.


Paul Jacoulet
Japan, c. 1939
Woodblock Print
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Child
1981.117.29

The original watercolor version of this image was not well-received, probably due to the unpleasant look of the young girl’s face and polka dot shawl over her shoulders that was most likely an import. In the print, Jacoulet made her face appear “doe-eyed” while also changing the shawl to a colorful Chamorro floral. Jacoulet often used his subjects’ eye expression to increase their sensual appeal, creating a “type” that was more alluring and appealing to his audience and moving away from the real humans that were his subjects.

 

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