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In 1895 Paul Gauguin (go-gen) left France to visit and paint in Tahiti. The White Horse was painted in Tahiti during this visit. It was first exhibited, or shown in 1905.
Little is known about the meaning of The White Horse. It has been called White Horse in a River and Riders in the Forest.
Some people think that Gauguin got the idea for the horse from a part of an very very old Greek building called the Parthenon. A similar horse is found on a carved frieze from this ancient building.
A frieze is a trim on a building. Some are found along the upper end of a wall in a room. This frieze had been cast in plaster. Then a photo was taken of the cast.
The color white has meaning to the the people of Tahiti. White is said to be tied to forces or beings that exist outside the natural world. It is also said to mean power and death.
The White Horse seems to play in a pool of water. In the back of the painting, two riders move in freedom. The branches of the tree curve above the horse. The White Horse is not white but many colors.
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