RP166 Paul Gauguin

 RP166 Paul Gauguin

Paul Gauguin was a French artist who is now seen as one of the founders of modern art. He began painting as an impressionist, but he grew tired of that style. He evolved toward the use of figures and clear, outlined blocks of color. Indeed, he is best known for his use of flat color. He used images and symbols from his travels in exotic lands such as Martinique, Panama, and Tahiti, giving his paintings a sense of mystery.

Gauguin lived in Europe for most of his early life. He married a Dutch woman and had five children with her, but he left European styles behind early in his art career. He grew tired of classical European perspective and subtle coloring. Influenced by Japanese prints and folk art, he began to move toward cloisonnism. Cloisonnism is a painting style named after a glass technique in which colored glass is put into blocks or cells to create a picture. Cloisonnism painting uses bold colors and black outlines to define objects clearly. Gauguin's painting The Yellow Christ is considered the greatest example of a cloisonniste work.

In 1891, a frustrated Gauguin left Europe and sailed to the tropics. He lived most of the rest of his life in Polynesia. He painted many of his most famous works there, including Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?, which many believe to be his masterpiece. His works from this time in his life depict Polynesian life—usually from a biased point of view that shows Polynesia as a paradise—and also use a variety of religious symbols.

Gauguin may not have had a conventionally successful life: he never made much money, and his family fell apart. However, the distance he put between himself and his culture certainly paid off in his art.