The controversial nature of the French post-impressionist painter Paul Gauguin and his unusual fate have created a special new reality in his work, where color plays a dominant role. Unlike the Impressionists, who attached importance to shadows, the artist conveyed his thoughts through a restrained composition, a clear contour of the figures and a color scheme. Gauguin's maximalism, his rejection of European civilization and restraint, his increased interest in the cultures of the islands of South America alien to Europe, the introduction of a new concept of "synthetism" and the desire to gain a sense of paradise on earth allowed the artist to take his special place in the art world of the late 19th century.
From civilization to overseas countries
Paul Gauguin was born on June 7, 1848 in Paris. His parents were a French journalist, an adherent of radical republicanism, and a mother of Franco-Peruvian origin. After an unsuccessful revolutionary coup, the family was forced to move to their mother's parents in Peru. The artist's father died of a heart attack during the journey, and Paul's family lived in South America for seven years.
Returning to France, the Gauguins settled in Orleans. The unremarkable life of a provincial town quickly got tired of Paul. Adventurous character traits led him to a merchant ship, and then to the navy, in which Paul visited Brazil, Panama, the islands of Oceania, continued his travels from the Mediterranean to the Arctic Circle until he left the service. By this time, the future artist was left alone, his mother had died, Gustave Arosa took custody of him, who arranged for Paul in a stock exchange firm. Decent earnings, success in a new field should have predetermined the life of a wealthy bourgeois for many years.
Family or creativity
At the same time, Gauguin met the governess Metta-Sofia Gard, who accompanied the wealthy Danish heiress. The magnificent forms of the governess, determination, laughing face and manner of speaking without deliberate timidity subdued Gauguin. Metta-Sophia Gad was not distinguished by sensuality, did not recognize coquetry, freely held herself and expressed herself directly, which distinguished her from other young ladies. This repulsed many men, but on the contrary, the dreamer Gauguin was captivated. In self-confidence, he saw an original character, and the presence of a girl drove away the loneliness that tormented him. Metta seemed to him a patroness, in whose arms he can feel calm like a child. The proposal of the wealthy Gauguin saved Mette from having to think about their daily bread. On November 22, 1873, the marriage took place. This marriage produced five children: a girl and four boys. Paul named his daughter and second son in honor of his parents: Clovis and Alina.
Could the young wife think that her well-to-do respectable life would be broken by the innocent brush of the artist in the hands of her husband, who one winter day would announce to her that from now on she would only be engaged in painting, and she herself and her children would be forced to return to relatives in Denmark.
From Impressionism to Synthetism
For Gauguin, painting was the path to liberation, the stock exchange was irretrievably lost time. Only in creativity, without wasting time on hateful duties, could he be himself. Having reached a critical point, having retired from the stock exchange, which brought a good income, Gauguin was convinced that everything was far from being so simple. Savings were melting, the paintings were not sold, but the return to work on the stock exchange and the rejection of the newfound freedom horrified Gauguin.
Uncertainly, groping, moving blindly, Gauguin tried to catch the world of colors and forms raging in him. Under the influence of Manet, at that time he painted a number of still lifes, created a cycle of works on the theme of the coast of Brittany. But the gravity of civilization makes him go to Martinique, participate in the construction of the Panama Canal, in the Antilles to recover from swamp fever.
The works of the island period become unusually colorful, bright, and do not fit into the framework of the canons of impressionism. Later, having arrived in France, Gauguin in Pont-Aven unites artists into a school of "color synthesis", for which the characteristic features were simplification and generalization of forms: the outline of a dark line was filled with a color spot. This method gave the works expressiveness and at the same time decorative effect, making them very bright. It is in this manner that “Jacob's struggle with an angel”, “A cafe in Arles” (1888) are written. This was all significantly different from the play of shadows, the play of light breaking through the foliage, the glare on the water - all those techniques that are so characteristic of the Impressionists.
After the failure of the exhibition of the Impressionists and "synthetics", Gauguin leaves France and goes to Oceania. The islands of Tahiti and Dominic fully corresponded to his dream of a world devoid of signs of European civilization. Numerous works of this period are distinguished by an open solar brightness that conveys the rich colors of Polynesia. Techniques for stylizing static figures on a color plane turn compositions into decorative panels. The desire to live according to the laws of primitive man, without the influence of civilization, was terminated by a forced return to France due to poor physical health.
fatal friendship
Gauguin spends some time in Paris, Brittany, stops with Van Gogh in Arles, where a tragic incident occurs. Enthusiastic fans of Gauguin in Brittany unwittingly made it possible for the artist to treat Van Gogh from the position of a teacher. Van Gogh's exaltation and Gauguin's maximalism led to serious scandals between them, during one of which Van Gogh rushes at Gauguin with a knife, and then cuts off part of his ear. This episode forces Gauguin to leave Arles and return to Tahiti some time later.
Looking for heaven on earth
A thatched hut, a remote village and a bright palette in the works, reflecting tropical nature: sea, greenery, sun. The canvases of this time depict the young wife of Gauguin, Tehura, whom her parents willingly married at the age of thirteen.
The constant lack of money, health problems, a serious venereal disease caused by promiscuity with local girls forced Gauguin to return to France again. Having received an inheritance, the artist returned to Tahiti, then to the island of Hiva Oa, where in May 1903 he died of a heart attack.
Three weeks after the death of Gauguin, his property was described and sold under the hammer for next to nothing. A certain “expert” from the capital of Tahiti simply threw away some of the drawings and watercolors. The remaining works were bought at auction by naval officers. The most expensive work "Motherhood" went under the hammer for one hundred and fifty francs, and the appraiser showed the "Breton village under the snow" upside down, giving it the name ... "Niagara Falls".
Postimpressionist and innovator of Synthetism
Along with Cezanne, Seurat and Van Gogh, Gauguin is considered the greatest master of post-impressionism. Having absorbed his lessons, he created his own unique artistic language, bringing a rejection of traditional naturalism to the history of modern painting, taking abstract symbols and figures of nature as a starting point, emphasizing amazing and mysterious colors.
Literature used in writing the article:
"Illustrated Encyclopedia of World Painting", compiled by E.V. Ivanova
"Encyclopedia of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism", compiled by T.G. Petrovets
"Life of Gauguin", A. Perryush
Marina Staskevich
On May 8, 1903, on the island of Hiva Oa in French Polynesia, at the age of 54, Eugene Henri Paul Gauguin died of syphilis. A father forgotten by his own children, a writer who became the laughing stock of Parisian journalists, an artist ridiculed by his contemporaries, he could not even imagine that after his death his paintings would cost tens of thousands of dollars. In our review of 10 paintings by the great artist, which depict Tahitian women who gave Gauguin love, joy and inspiration.
1. Tahitian women on the coast (1891)
Tahitian women on the coast. 1891 Paris. Museum D'Orsay.
In Tahiti, Paul Gauguin painted over 50 paintings, some of his best paintings. Women were a special theme for the temperamental painter. Yes, and women in comparison with stiff Europe in Tahiti were special. The French writer Defontaine wrote: It is impossible to please them, they always lack money, no matter how generous you may be ... Thinking about tomorrow and feeling gratitude - both are equally alien to Tahitian women. They live only in the present, do not think about the future, do not remember the past. The most tender, most devoted lover is forgotten, barely stepped over the threshold, forgotten literally the very next day. The main thing for them is to intoxicate themselves with songs, dances, alcohol and love.».
2. Parau Parau - Conversation (1891)
In this picture, Gauguin himself made an inscription, which is translated from the language of the islanders as “gossip”. Women sit in a circle and are busy talking, but the everydayness of the plot of the picture does not deprive it of mystery. This picture is not so much a somewhat concrete reality as an image of the eternal world, and the exotic nature of Tahiti is just an organic part of this world.
Gauguin himself became an organic part of this world - he did not worry about women, did not fall in love and did not demand from local ladies what they could not give him initially. After parting with his beloved wife, who remained in Europe, he consoled himself with bodily love. Fortunately, Tahitian women gave love to any unmarried man, it was enough just to point a finger at the young lady you liked and pay her "guardian".
3. Her name is Vairaumati (1892)
Yet Gauguin was happy in Tahiti. He was especially inspired to work when 16-year-old Tekhura settled in his hut. For a swarthy girl with wavy hair, her parents took very little from Gauguin. Now, at night, a night light smoldered in Gauguin's hut - Tehura was afraid of ghosts waiting in the wings. Paul brought water from the well every morning, watered the garden and stood at the easel. Gauguin was ready to live like this forever.
Once Tehura told the artist about the secret society Areoi, which enjoyed special influence on the islands and considered themselves adepts of the god Oro. When Gauguin found out about them, he got the idea to paint a picture about the god Oro. The artist called the painting "Her name is Vairaumati".
In the painting, Vairaumati herself is depicted seated on a bed of love, with fresh fruits at her feet for her lover. Behind Vairaumati, wearing a red loincloth, is the god Oro himself. In the depths of the canvas, two idols are visible. The whole Tahitian landscape invented by Gauguin is intended to personify love.
4. Manao Tupapau - The spirit of the dead is awake (1892)
The name of the painting "Manao Tupapau" has two meanings - "she thinks of a ghost" and "a ghost thinks of her." The reason for writing a picture of Gauguin gave a domestic situation. He left on business in Papeete, and returned home only late at night. The house was shrouded in darkness because the oil in the lamp had run out. When Paul lit the match, he saw that Tehura was trembling with horror, clutching the bed. All the natives were afraid of ghosts, and therefore they did not turn off the lights in the huts at night.
Gauguin entered this story into his notebook and finished prosaically: “In general, this is just a nude from Polynesia.”
5. The King's Wife (1896)
Gauguin wrote the painting "The King's Wife" during his second stay in Tahiti. The Tahitian beauty with a red fan behind her head, which is a sign of the royal family, brings to mind the Olympia by Edouard Manet and the Venus of Urbino by Titian. The beast stalking the slope symbolizes feminine mystery. But the most important thing, according to the artist himself, and the picture is color. “... It seems to me that in terms of color I have never created a single thing with such a strong solemn sonority,” Gauguin wrote to one of his friends.
6. Ea haere ia oe - Where are you going? (Woman holding a fetus). (1893)
Title="Ea haere ia oe - Where are you going? (Woman holding a fetus). 1893.
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Ea haere ia oe - Where are you going? (Woman holding a fetus). 1893.
Saint Petersburg. State Hermitage.
Gauguin was brought to Polynesia by a romantic dream of complete harmony - into a world mysterious, exotic and not completely different from Europe. He saw the embodiment of the eternal rhythm of life in the bright colors of Oceania, and the islanders themselves were a source of inspiration for him.
The name of the painting from the language of the Maori tribe is translated as a greeting "Where are you going?". The most seemingly simple motive acquired almost ritual solemnity. Pumpkin (this is how the islanders carried water) in the picture has become a symbol of the Tahitian paradise. The peculiarity of this picture is the feeling of sunlight, which materializes in the swarthy body of a Tahitian woman, who is depicted in a red-fiery pareo.
7. Te awae no Maria - Month of Mary (1899)
The painting, the main theme of which was the flowering of spring nature, was painted by Gauguin in the last years of his life, which he spent in Tahiti. The name of the picture - Month of Mary - is due to the fact that in the Catholic Church all May services were associated with the cult of the Virgin Mary.
The whole picture is imbued with the artist's impressions of the exotic world into which he plunged. The pose of the woman in the picture resembles a sculpture from a temple on the island of Java. She is wearing a white robe, which is considered a symbol of purity among both Tahitians and Christians. The artist in this picture connected various religions, creating an image of primevalness.
8. Women by the sea (motherhood) (1899)
The painting, created by Gauguin in the last years of his life, testifies to the artist's complete departure from European civilization. This painting is inspired by real events - Pakhura, the artist's Tahitian lover, gave birth to his son in 1899.
9. Three Tahitian women on a yellow background. (1899)
Another of the last works of the artist is “Three Tahitian women on a yellow background”. It is full of mysterious symbols that cannot always be deciphered. It is possible that the artist laid some symbolic background in this work. But at the same time, the canvas is decorative: a complete harmony of rhythmic lines and color spots, plasticity and grace in the poses of women. In this picture, the artist depicted the world with that natural harmony that civilized Europe has lost.
10. "Nafea Faa Ipoipo" ("When will you marry?") (1892)
In early 2015, Paul Gauguin's Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Get Married?) became the world's most expensive piece of art, auctioning off for $300 million. The canvas, which belonged to the Swiss collector Rudolf Stechelin, dates from 1892. He confirmed the fact of the sale of the masterpiece, but did not voice the amount of the transaction. The media managed to find out that the organization Qatar Museums, which buys works of art for museums in Qatar, bought the painting.
Especially for connoisseurs of painting and for those who are just getting acquainted with world masterpieces, .
Paul Gauguin was always easily carried away and parted without regret. The two main women in his life were complete opposites of each other. A puffy, rude Dane and a swarthy, docile Tahitian. Gauguin was connected with the first by 12 years lived together and five children, with the second - by a passionate, but fleeting "tourist" marriage. However, in spite of everything, both of these women left the most noticeable mark both in the soul of the artist and in his work.
painted hearth
Paul Gauguin met the young Dane Mette Sophie Gad in Paris in 1872. The future artist only recently got a job in the office of a stockbroker, and the girl worked as a governess to the children of the Prime Minister of Denmark. In January of the following year, they got engaged, and in November they got married. Soon the first child was born to the couple, and their affairs went uphill. Gauguin got a well-paid job in a bank, more than enough money for a decent family life, and for Paul's main hobby - painting. For quite a long time, Gauguin remained only a connoisseur and collector of other people's works, but in the end he began to write himself.
The earliest works of Gauguin:
In the forest of Saint Cloud
Paul Gauguin 1873, 24 × 34 cm
Gauguin was not a professional artist, he started painting as an amateur. However, later he became the largest representative of post-impressionism.
P. Gauguin "Van Gogh and sunflowers" (1888)
A childhood spent in Peru awakened in Gauguin a craving for exotic places. The artist considered civilization a disease. He wanted to merge with nature, so in 1891 he left for Tahiti (French Polynesia), where he writes a lot. Short-term, for 2 years, return to France, and again departure (already forever) to Oceania: first to Tahiti, and since 1901 to the island of Hiva-Oa (Marquesas Islands). Here he marries a young Tahitian woman and works: he writes his best paintings, stories, works as a journalist. He intertwines observations of the real life and life of the peoples of Oceania with local myths.
This is where Paul Gauguin died in 1903.
The work of Paul Gauguin
Glory came to Gauguin after death. Let's take a look at some of his works.
P. Gauguin "Breton Calvary" ("Green Christ") (1889). Canvas, oil. 73.5 x 92 cm Royal Museum of Fine Arts (Brussels)
In the vicinity of Pont-Aven, Gauguin often saw ancient stone crucifixes. They were covered in moss. The picture was created by him under the impression of these ancient idols.
P. Gauguin "Woman with a flower" (1891). Canvas, oil. 70.5 x 46.5 cm New Carlsberg Glyptothek (Copenhagen)
This painting was created by an artist in Tahiti - the first of the paintings of the Tahitian cycle. He himself described the history of its creation. The woman is a neighbor of Gauguin, she went to him, interested in the paintings on the wall (reproductions from paintings by Manet and other artists). He took advantage of this visit to sketch a portrait of a Tahitian woman, but she ran away. An hour later she returned dressed in a smart dress and with a flower in her hair. She did not meet European standards, but Gauguin saw Raphaelian harmony in her features.
The yellow and red background of the portrait is decorated with stylized flowers. The flower in the woman's hair is Tahitian gardenia. This flower is also used to make perfumes.
P. Gauguin "The spirit of the dead does not sleep" (1892). Canvas, oil. 72.4 x 92.4 cm. Albright-Knox Art Gallery (Buffalo, New York)
The painting is also from the Tahitian cycle. The mixing of fiction with reality was characteristic of the culture of the Tahitians. The young girl is painted from Tehura, the young Tahitian wife of Gauguin. The spirit is depicted as an ordinary woman. The gloomy purple background of the painting creates a mystical atmosphere.
The canvas was created as a result of a real event: Gauguin was delayed on the way until dark. Tehura was waiting for him, but the lamp ran out of oil and she lay in darkness. Entering the house, he struck a match, which greatly frightened her: she mistook him for a ghost. The Tahitians were very afraid of ghosts. Gauguin depicted a ghost in the form of an ordinary woman, because. Tahitians who had not read books and had not been to the theater could only take an idea of them from real life.
P. Gauguin "Are you jealous?" (1892). Canvas, oil. 66 x 89 cm. State Museum of Fine Arts. A.S. Pushkin (Moscow)
The painting was painted during the Polynesian period of Gauguin's work. It is based on a scene from life, which he later described in the book “Noa Noa”: “There are two sisters on the shore. They had just bathed, and now their bodies are spread out on the sand in casual voluptuous poses - they are talking about yesterday's love and the one that will come tomorrow. One memory causes strife: “How? Are you jealous!"
P. Gauguin "Woman holding a fetus" (1893). Canvas, oil. 92.5 x 73.5 cm State Hermitage Museum (St. Petersburg)
The painting depicts a Tahitian village. Two simple huts covered with grass are visible. In the foreground of the painting is a young Tahitian woman holding a greenish-lemon mango in her hands. Her face is serious and expressive, her gaze is attentive. It is believed that the young wife of Gauguin, the Tahitian Tekhura, served as a model for her.
The Tahitian landscape is shown in a generalized way: there are no sun rays or air vibrations in the picture, but the heat of the tropical sun is felt in the color of the woman's skin, and in the blue of the sky, and in the stillness of the branches. The woman seems to be an integral part of nature.
P. Gauguin "Never Again" (1897). Canvas, oil. Courtauld Institute of Art (London)
The painting is one of the most famous paintings by Paul Gauguin, painted in Tahiti.
A naked Tahitian girl lies on a rich bed. She seems to be listening intently to something. In the background is a doorway, and in it are two people talking. Nearby is a black bird that looks like a crow.
The color scheme of the picture is gloomy, so the picture is alarming. And the woman lying on the bed looks alarmed: she looks either at the raven or at the people talking in the next room. Thick strokes, bright, expressive colors anticipate expressionism.
P. Gauguin “Where did we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?" (1897-1898). Canvas, oil. 131.1 x 374.6 cm Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, USA)
This is one of the most famous paintings by Paul Gauguin. The artist considered this work the sublime culmination of his reflections.
After completing this painting, Gauguin contemplated committing suicide. Gauguin arrived in Tahiti in 1891 in the hope of finding a paradise on earth, untouched by civilization, where one could turn to the basics of primitive art. But reality disappointed him.
He pointed out that the picture should be read from right to left: three main groups of figures illustrate the questions posed in the title. Three women with a child represent the beginning of life; the middle group symbolizes the daily existence of maturity; in the final group, according to the artist, "an old woman approaching death seems reconciled and given over to her thoughts", at her feet "a strange white bird ... represents the futility of words." The blue idol in the background represents the "other world". About the completeness of the picture, he said the following: "I believe that this canvas is not only superior to all my previous ones, and that I will never create something better or even similar."
The painting is made in the post-impressionist style. The clear use of colors and thick strokes still illustrates the principles of impressionism, but the emotionality and power of expressionism is also evident.
He was a successful entrepreneur and in a few years managed to make a large fortune, which would be enough to provide for the whole family - his wife and five children. But at one point, this man came home and said that he wanted to exchange his boring financial employment for oil paints, brushes and canvas. Thus, he left the stock exchange and, being carried away by his favorite business, was left with nothing.
Now the post-impressionist canvases of Paul Gauguin are estimated at more than one million dollars. For example, in 2015, the artist’s painting titled “When is the wedding?” (1892), depicting two Tahitian women and a picturesque tropical landscape, was sold at auction for $ 300 million. But it turned out that during his lifetime, the talented Frenchman, like his colleague in the shop, did not receive the well-deserved recognition and fame. For the sake of art, Gauguin deliberately doomed himself to the existence of a poor wanderer and exchanged a rich life for outright poverty.
Childhood and youth
The future artist was born in the city of love - the capital of France - on June 7, 1848, at that troubled time when political upheavals awaited the country of Cezanne and Parmesan, affecting the lives of all citizens - from unremarkable merchants to large entrepreneurs. Paul's father, Clovis, came from the petty bourgeoisie of Orleans, who worked as a liberal journalist in the local newspaper Nacional and scrupulously covered the chronicles of state affairs.
His wife Alina Maria was a native of sunny Peru, grew up and was brought up in a noble family. Alina's mother and, accordingly, Gauguin's grandmother, the illegitimate daughter of the nobleman Don Mariano and Flora Tristan, adhered to the political ideas of utopian socialism, became the author of critical essays and the autobiographical book Wanderings of the Party. The union of Flora and her husband Andre Chazal ended sadly: the unfortunate lover attacked his wife and ended up in prison for attempted murder.
Due to political upheavals in France, Clovis, worried for the safety of his family, was forced to flee the country. In addition, the authorities closed the publishing house where he worked, and the journalist was left without a livelihood. Therefore, the head of the family, along with his wife and small children, went on a ship to Peru in 1850.
Gauguin's father was full of good hopes: he dreamed of settling in a South American state and, under the auspices of his wife's parents, founding his own newspaper. But the plans of the man failed to come true, because during the journey Clovis suddenly died of a heart attack. Therefore, Alina returned to her homeland as a widow, along with 18-month-old Gauguin and his 2-year-old sister Marie.
Until the age of seven, Paul lived in an ancient South American state, the mountainous picturesque outskirts of which excite the imagination of any person. Young Gauguin had an eye for an eye: on his uncle's estate in Lima, he was surrounded by servants and nurses. Paul retained a vivid memory of that period of childhood, he recalled with pleasure the boundless expanses of Peru, the impressions from which haunted the gifted artist for the rest of his life.
Gauguin's idyllic childhood in this tropical paradise came to an abrupt end. Due to civil conflicts in Peru in 1854, eminent relatives on the mother's side lost political power and privileges. In 1855, Alina returned to France with Marie to receive an inheritance from her uncle. The woman settled in Paris and began to earn a living as a dressmaker, while Paul remained in Orleans, where he was brought up by his paternal grandfather. Thanks to perseverance and work in 1861, Gauguin's parent became the owner of her own sewing workshop.
After several local schools, Gauguin was sent to a prestigious Catholic boarding school (Petit Seminaire de La Chapelle-Saint-Mesmin). Paul was a diligent student, so he excelled in many subjects, but the French language was especially good for a talented young man.
When the future artist was 14 years old, he entered the Paris Naval Preparatory School and was preparing to enter the nautical school. But, fortunately or unfortunately, in 1865 the young man failed the exams at the selection committee, therefore, without losing hope, he was hired on the ship as a pilot. Thus, the young Gauguin went on a journey through boundless water spaces and traveled all the time in many countries, visited South America, on the Mediterranean coast, explored the northern seas.
While Paul was at sea, his mother died of an illness. Gauguin remained in the dark about the terrible tragedy for several months, until a letter with unpleasant news from his sister overtook him on his way to India. In her will, Alina recommended that her offspring make a career, because, in her opinion, Gauguin, due to his obstinate temper, would not be able to rely on friends or relatives in case of trouble.
Paul did not contradict the last will of the parent and in 1871 went to Paris in order to start an independent life. The young man was lucky, because his mother's friend Gustave Arosa helped the 23-year-old orphaned boy break out of the rags to riches. Gustave, a stockbroker, recommended Paul to the company, due to which the young man got a position as a broker.
Painting
The talented Gauguin succeeded in his profession, the man began to have money. For ten years of his career, he became a respectable person in society and managed to provide his family with a comfortable apartment in the city center. Like his guardian Gustave Arosa, Paul began to buy paintings by the famous Impressionists, and in his spare time inspired by the canvases of Gauguin began to try his talent.
Between 1873 and 1874, Paul created the first vivid landscapes that reflected Peruvian culture. One of the debut works of the young artist - "Forest Thicket in Viroff" - was exhibited at the Salon and received rave reviews from critics. Soon the novice master met Camille Pissarro, a French painter. A warm friendship developed between these two creative people, Gauguin often visited his mentor in the northwestern suburb of Paris - Pontoise.
The artist, who hates secular life and loves solitude, increasingly spent his free time painting, gradually the broker is perceived not as an employee of a large company, but as a gifted artist. In many ways, the fate of Gauguin was affected by his acquaintance with a certain, original representative of the impressionist movement. Degas supports Paul both morally and financially, buying up his expressive canvases.
In search of inspiration and relaxation from the noisy capital of France, the master packed a suitcase and set off on a journey. So he visited Panama, lived with Van Gogh in Arles, visited Brittany. In 1891, recalling a happy childhood spent in his mother's homeland, Gauguin leaves for Tahiti, a volcanic island whose expanses give vent to fantasy. He admired coral reefs, dense jungles where juicy fruits grow, and azure sea shores. Paul tried to convey all the natural colors he saw on the canvases, due to which Gauguin's creations turned out to be original and bright.
The artist watched what was happening around and captured what he saw with a sensitive artistic eye in his works. So, the plot of the painting “Are you jealous?” (1892) appeared before the eyes of Gauguin in reality. The two Tahitian sisters, who had just bathed, lay down in relaxed positions on the shore under the scorching sun. From the girlish dialogue about love, Gauguin heard strife: “How? Are you jealous!". Paul later admitted that this painting is one of his favorite creations.
In the same 1892, the master painted the mystical canvas "The Spirit of the Dead Does Not Sleep", made in gloomy, mysterious purple tones. The viewer sees a naked Tahitian woman lying on a bed, and behind her is a spirit in a gloomy robe. The fact is that one day the artist's lamp ran out of oil. He struck a match to illuminate the space, thus frightening Tehura. Paul began to wonder if this girl could take the artist not for a person, but for a ghost or spirit, which the Tahitians are very afraid of. These mystical thoughts of Gauguin inspired him with the plot of the picture.
A year later, the master paints another picture called "Woman holding a fetus." Following his manner, Gauguin signs this masterpiece with the second, Maori, name Euhaereiaoe ("Where [are you] going?"). In this work, as in all of Paul's works, man and nature are static, as if merging into one. Initially, this painting was purchased by a Russian merchant, at present the work is in the walls of the State Hermitage. Among other things, the author of The Sewing Woman in the last years of his life wrote the book NoaNoa, published in 1901.
Personal life
Paul Gauguin in 1873 made a marriage proposal to the Danish Matte-Sophie Gad, who agreed and gave her lover four children: two boys and two girls. Gauguin adored his first child, Emil, who was born in 1874. Many canvases of the master of brushes and paints are decorated with the image of a serious boy who, judging by the works, was fond of reading books.
Unfortunately, the family life of the great impressionist was not cloudless. The master's paintings were not sold and did not bring their former income, and the artist's wife was not of the opinion that with a sweet paradise in a hut. Due to the plight of Paul, who barely made ends meet, quarrels and conflicts often arose between the spouses. After arriving in Tahiti, Gauguin married a young local beauty.
Death
While Gauguin was in Papeete, he worked very productively and managed to write about eighty canvases, which are considered the best in his track record. But fate prepared new obstacles for the talented man. Gauguin failed to win recognition and fame among admirers of creativity, so he plunged into depression.
Because of the black streak that came in his life, Paul made suicide attempts more than once. The state of mind of the artist gave rise to the oppression of health, the author of "Breton village under the snow" fell ill with leprosy. The great master died on the island on May 9, 1903 at the age of 54.
Unfortunately, as often happens, fame came to Gauguin only after his death: three years after the death of the master, his canvases were put on public display in Paris. In memory of Paul in 1986, the film "The Wolf on the Threshold" was filmed, where the role of the artist was played by the famous Hollywood actor. Also, the British prose writer wrote the biographical work "The Moon and the Penny", where Paul Gauguin became the prototype of the protagonist.
Artworks
- 1880 - "The Sewing Woman"
- 1888 - "Vision after the sermon"
- 1888 - "Cafe in Arles"
- 1889 - "Yellow Christ"
- 1891 - "Woman with a flower"
- 1892 - "The spirit of the dead does not sleep"
- 1892 - "Ah, are you jealous?"
- 1893 - "Woman holding a fruit"
- 1893 - "Her name was Vairaumati"
- 1894 - "The fun of the evil spirit"
- 1897–1898 - “Where did we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?"
- 1897 - "Never again"
- 1899 - "Collecting fruits"
- 1902 - "Still life with parrots"
