Paul Gauguin in my mind had one of the most interesting life
stories of any artist. Gauguin wasa born in Paris, France on June 7th, 1848, but only three years after his birth his
family moved to Peru due to the political climate in France at the time. His Father died on the voyage to Peru where
Gauguin spent the next four years of his life. Eventually, he made it back to France where made a good living as a stockbroker
and married Mette Sophia Gad. Gauguin had always enjoyed painting and in 1883 he made a drastic choice
and gave up his buisness and dedicated his life to painting.
It is sad to say, but when Gauguin devoted his life to painting,
his wife and family seperated themsleves from him. Gauguin was off on his own exploring Impressionism and developing
what he called Synthetism, which involved pure color patterns, strong outlines, and flat planes. Gauguins most impressive
works of this period include Vision after the Sermon/Jacob Wrestling with the Angel and the Yellow Christ.
Gauguin was a friend of another famour painter, Vincent Van Gogh, and spent 9 weeks painting with him during 1888. Gauguin
did not have the same success financially as an artist as he did as a strock broker. After a lot of frustration and
depression Gauguin sailed to Tahiti to escape Europe.
Gauguin embraced Tahiti with a lot of affection. He
enjoyed the colors and untainted environment where he lived with the natives of the land. He lived in Tahiti until he
became ill in 1893 and returned to France. His paintings once agian failed financially, but he did inheirit a bit of
money from an uncle. In 1895 Gauiguin returned to Tahiti once again. His health did not improve and he endured
several strokes until he died in 1903 on the Marquesas Islands. Gauguin wasn't the most respected artist during his
lifetime, but in todays modern art he is a very influential artist. He is known for his color and line of his paintings
along with the mystery he brought into each one.
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