| Paul Gauguin...4 |
| ---painters--- |
| famous paintings |
| famous paintings |
| famous artists |
| famous painters |
| Van gogh, Renoir, Degas, Cezanne, Monet Gauguin, Hokusai, Bierstadt, Homer, Goya, Mark Raphael, Leonardo da vinci |
| Michel Angelo, Dutch master, Caravaggio, Caillebotte, Vaneyck, Whistler, Cassatt, Botticelli Seurat, David, Turner |
| Biography of Famous painter Paul Gauguin is given below. |
| Paul Gauguin was born on June 7, 1848, in Paris. During the first five years of his life he lived in Lima, Peru, from 1851 to 1855. He spent the early years of his life in the merchant marine from 1865 to 1871 and later also worked in the French navy for six years. Gaugin also worked as a stockbroker's assistant in Paris. During this time he was introduced to Camille Pissaro. |
| Gaugin spent his time with painters Pissaro and Cezanne trying to learn the basics of art. His passion for Impressionist paintings helped shape his career. In 1837 he married Matte Gad from Copenhagen. As a stock broker he earned a handsome income enough to support his painting activities. But by 1884 he moved with is family to Copenhagen to pursue a business career. But very soon he proved to be a failure in it and returned back to Paris in 1885 to continue as a painter. |
| He gave up his career as stock broker at the age of 35 and started spending time with his friend and painter Vincent Van Gogh. His association with Van Gogh helped shaped his artistic career but they often ended up quarrelling. This eventually culminated in Van Gogh cutting off his own ear. |
| His wife and 5 children separated him and Gaugin was left all alone. As a consequence he suffered from bouts of depression and often tried to commit suicide. In 1889 he was invited to participate in the exhibition organized by Les XX. |
| He went to Panama in 1887 to work for the Panama canal project was dismissed after two weeks. He then moved to Martinique. But soon Gauguin dropped his plans and returned to Paris and Pont-Aven in hope of a better career as an artist. |
| In The Yellow Christ (1889), Gaugin used bold colors without much gradations. He used dark black border to separate to different shades of color. He did not put too much detail to perspective and displayed the two most characteristic principles of post-e Renaissance painting. His paintings do not emphasize on either form or color but each has an equal role. |
| In 1891 illness ,frustration caused by lack of recognition and financial instability forced him to return to Paris. With the help of critic Charles Morice, he began Noa Noa, a book about Tahiti. Gauguin returned to Tahiti in 1895. In Mataiea Village in Tahiti, he painted "Fatata te Miti" ("By the Sea"), "La Orana Maria" (Ave Maria) and other depictions of Tahitian life. In 1893 he returned to France. He attempted suicide in January 1898 after he had completed the painting Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? although his suicide attempts failed. |
| Some of Gauguin's popular works of art are Ia Orana Maria (1891; Metropolitan Mus.), The Day of the God (Art Inst., Chicago), By the Sea (1892; National Gall., Washington, D.C.). Sixpence (1919), based on the life of Gauguin, did much to promote the Gauguin legend that arose shortly after his death. |
| The Polynesian culture influenced Gauguin's paintings. The compositions more strong, suggestive though simple while the subject matter became more distinctive, the scale large. He painted on simple themes like scenes of ordinary life, Tahitian Women, The Beach (1891, Musée de Orsay, Paris), brooding scenes of superstitious dread, such as Spirit of the Deadwatching (1892, Albright-Knox Art Gallery). His masterpiece was the monumental allegory Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? (1897, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston). |
| In 1901 Gaugin moved to the Marquesas. Two years later he died at Atuana in Marquesas on May 8, 1903. In his memory a retrospective of his work was held in Paris in 1906. |
| Paul Gaugin Biography |
| Masterpiece of Paul Gauguin - D'où venonsnous? Que sommes-nous? Où allons-nous? (Where Do We come from? What Are We? Where Are We Going?) was painted by Paul Gauguin in1897. This painting can be seen at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA. |
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