Paul Gauguin

Lore & Background

Gauguin was born in Paris in 1848, amidst Europe's revolutionary year. In 1850, his family settled in Peru, where he experienced a privileged childhood until age six that left a lasting impression. Financial struggles later brought them back to France, where Gauguin received formal education. Initially working as a stockbroker, he started painting in his spare time, his interest kindled by visits to galleries and exhibitions. The financial crisis of 1882 significantly impacted his brokerage career, prompting a shift to full-time painting. His art education was largely self-taught, shaped by associations with other artists, particularly Camille Pissarro, who mentored him and introduced him to Impressionist techniques.

Gauguin exhibited with the Impressionists in the early 1880s but soon developed his distinct style, characterized by bolder color and less traditional subject matter. His work in Brittany and Martinique showcased his inclination towards depicting native life and landscapes. By the 1890s, his art took a significant turn during his time in Tahiti, then a French colony, where he sought refuge from Western civilization. His later years in Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands were marked by health problems and financial struggles. His paintings from that period, with vivid colors and Symbolist themes, proved highly successful among European viewers for their exploration of relationships between people, nature, and the spiritual world.

Reader's Guide

Gauguin's significance lies in his experimental use of color and Synthetist style, which distinguished him from Impressionism and influenced the French avant-garde and many modern artists, such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. His art became popular after his death, partially due to the efforts of dealer Ambroise Vollard, who organized exhibitions late in Gauguin's career and assisted in organizing two important posthumous exhibitions in Paris. Gauguin's work explored relationships between people, nature, and the spiritual world, and he is well known for his relationship with Vincent and Theo van Gogh. His legacy endures as a key figure in the transition from Impressionism to modern art, though his personal life and choices remain subjects of historical scrutiny.

Did You Know?

• Gauguin's maternal grandmother, Flora Tristan, was an author and activist in early socialist movements.
• He served as a pilot's assistant in the merchant marine and later in the French navy for two years.
• Gauguin's painting The Market Gardens of Vaugirard, initially dismissed, is now highly regarded.
• He kept copies of his grandmother Flora Tristan's books with him to the end of his life.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Paul Gauguin (7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist painter; From 1895 he lived and painted in Papeete on Tahiti." — Paul Gauguin "Quote of Gauguin from: Notes Synthéthiques (ca. 1884-1885), ed. Henri Mahaut, in Vers et prose (July-September 1910), p. 52; translation from John Rewald, Gauguin (Hyperion Press, 1938), p. 161." — Paul Gauguin "How do you see this tree? Is it really green? Use green, then, the most beautiful green on your palette. And that shadow, rather blue? Don't be afraid to paint it as blue as possible." — Paul Gauguin "Comment voyez-vous cet arbre? Il est bien vert? Mettez donc du vert, le plus beau vert de votre palette; — et cette ombre, plutôt bleue? Ne craignez pas la peindre aussi bleue que possible." — Paul Gauguin