Gaughin - Van Gogh

Paul Gauguin

Gauguin is often best known for sailing to Tahiti in the far Pacific. He caught the essence of Tahitian native culture. Gauguin used very vibrant colors for the time and broke the conventions of European painting and world history. When you look at the dates of this brilliant modern work, it is like an arrow pointing as a precursor to all of modern art, especially what Picasso was about to do. Gauguin’s Tahitian work was created on two trips to Tahiti between 1891 and 1901. Gauguin’s life was very crazy; he was born in Paris, when Napoleon seized power in 1851, his family fled to Peru. When he turned 17 years old, he spent 6 years sailing the seas. Later, he became a stockbroker. During this time, he became fascinated with art and started to collect many works of art by the Impressionists. At one point, he studied under Camille Pissaro, one of the other brilliant Impressionists.

Early in Gauguin’s lifetime, he became friends with Van Gogh. His works and color schemes were also highly affected by the works of Seurat. After a trip to the French Caribbean island of Martinique, he found love with the tropical landscape and the bright, vibrant colors produced by the region’s style, culture and life. Tahitian women figured prominently in many of Gauguin’s works.