| The Siesta | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Paul Gauguin |
| Year | 1892 to 1894 |
| Type | Oil paint on canvas |
| Dimensions | 88.9 by 116.2 centimetres (35.0 in × 45.7 in) |
| Location | Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City |
The Siesta is an 1892-1894 oil on canvas painting by Paul Gauguin, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.[1] It was painted during Gauguin's first extended trip to the island of Tahiti.
The picture is an unpretentious representation of a group of Tahitian women in westernised clothes chatting in the cool shade of a verandah during the hot afternoon sun. One of the women is doing her ironing.[2] Although the subject matter was an aspect of everyday life, Gauguin worked on the canvas over a long period, making several changes - the shopping bag in the foreground, for example, was previously a dog.