Paul Gauguin
1848–1903 · Post-Impressionism & Neo-Impressionism
Biography
Paul Gauguin (1848–1903), a former stockbroker, became a painter at 35. He worked in Brittany and then in Tahiti and the Marquesas, seeking a primitive, spiritual art; his bold colour influenced modern art profoundly.
From the artist’s life
Paul Gauguin (1848–1903), a former stockbroker, became a leading Post-Impressionist. He worked in Brittany and later in Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands, and his bold, flat colours influenced the Nabis and Fauvism.
From the page of The Yellow Christ
Gauguin was not only a painter but an artist blessed with many different abilities and extraordinary talent. He was an excellent sculptor (Oviri, pictured), and his carved wooden panels and sculptures, as well as his ceramics and the original, colourful paintings of his Tahitian period, helped revive enthusiasm for a dying art form, “primitivism”. Gauguin was interested in Tahiti’s ancient traditions, art and culture, and his own works, especially his carved wooden sculptures, reflect this style. As Gauguin himself said, “primitive art springs from the spirit and draws on nature.”
From the page of When Will You Marry? (Nafea Faa Ipoipo)
