Da Gangztaz Block 8
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a Post-Impressionist painter born in Paris, France. As a child, Paul always had a love of painting. Paul was originally inspired to start painting full-time when he went to an Impressionist’s first exhibit in 1874. He started painting full-time in 1885, after he returned from Denmark, where he left his family. He spent 9 weeks in 1888 with Vincent Van Gogh, both learning from each other, but typically at odds against each other. He had his big break with Impressionists when he painted “Visions after the Sermon,” where he attempted to depict his subject’s inner feelings. Gauguin felt that Impressionism lacked symbolic depth and he turned to other cultures, such as Japan or Africa.
In 1891, Gauguin sailed away from Europe because the lack of recognition and felt that he needed to escape from civilization. He moved to various locations, one of which was Mataiea Village in Tahitian,
where he painted various depictions of Tahitian life, such as “Fatata te Miti,” meaning “By the Sea.” He moved again, this time to Punaauia in 1897. His works from that time are exoticized views of the inhabitants. He often sided with the native people against the colonial authorities and the Catholic Church. During this time, he wrote a book, Avant et aprènes (before and after), which consisted of fragmented memories of observations about Polynesian life, his life, and comments on literature and paintings. In, 1903, he was about to be sent to prison due to problems with the church and local government, when he died of syphilis.
Resources
- http://www.paul-gauguin.net/
- http://www.ricci-art.com/en/Paul-Gauguin.htm
- http://www.theartwolf.com/gauguin_tropics.htm
