Paul Gauguin (1848-1903)

Paul Gauguin was the son of Clovis Gauguin a radical journalist. Because of his father’s political activities Gauguin and his family were forced to go into exile. The family headed to Peru, but Clovis Gauguin died before they could reach Lima. The surviving memebers of the family would stay in Lima for four years. This period would end up having a great impact on Paul. He became a sailor having joined the French merchant navy at the age of 17. He travelled around the world, then he became a successful stockbroker in Paris.

Gauguin's transformation from a stockbroker to a full-time painter and artist came after the financial crash of 1882. Through the influence of Camille Pissaro he would join the Impressionist movement. By the time he reach the age of 35, through the encouragement of Pissarro, he became more deeply devoted to his art after having given up his position and separated from his wife and five children. He would exhibit his work with them from 1879 to 1886.

The following year 1887, Gouguin decided to leave France and set sail to Panama together with a painter friend, Charles Laval. He soon traveled to Martinique, where continued his development as an artist. He would produce some fine lithographs as well as some pottery pieces. Because of illness he returned to France where he would live in Paris and Brittany. He also had a brief and tragic stay in Arles with fellow artist Van Gogh.

By 1888 he had developed a synthetist theory of art. Gauguin work was known for his rejection of the tradition of western naturalism. He would use nature as the starting point from which to develop figures and symbols. He stressed linear patterns and remarkable color harmonies, imbuing his paintings with expressive, irregular shapes and strong contrasts. This consisted of flat planes and bright, and often unnatural color along with symbolic and primitive subjects. An example of this work is 'The Yellow Christ'. In 1891 Gauguin decided to sell 30 of his canvases and use the money to travel to Tahiti. It was there that he would produce some of his best paintings. He wrote a autobiographical novel about his time in Tahiti. Gauguin returned to France in 1893. He was making very little money at this time and he traveled again to the the South Seas in 1895. He would be dogged by poverty, depression and health problems including syphilis for the rest of his life. He died in the Marquesas Islands in 1903.

Today Paul Gauguin is recognized as one of the influential figures in the world of modern art.

Some examples of Gauguin's work include 'The Day of the God', 'Ia Orana Maria', 'By the Sea' and his most well known work 'Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?'