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Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) was born in Paris, where he married and became a broker. But the life of an “ordinary” person, he did not live long. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, he took up a brush and began to paint, and in the end his creative nature manifested itself in full.
Paul Gauguin quit his job, left his wife and went to Haiti, where he began to create works of art. Although contemporaries did not take his work seriously, and critics and journalists even ridiculed him, he continued to work.
Paul Gauguin, at the beginning of his journey, worked in the power of impressionism, and later switched to synthetism and cloisonism. In the famous paintings, painted in Haiti, the artist uses pure and very bright colors, and his heroines are half-naked girls who are in the tropics.
Paul Gauguin has a lot of paintings that I would like to talk about for hours, but for now let’s take a quick look at the most famous?
10 Tree in the Farm Yard (1874)
The work “Tree in the farmyard” Paul Gauguin wrote in 1874, her style is designated as Impressionism (the one in which the artist worked in his early years). The canvas depicts summer: almost the entire sky is “covered” with clouds and it looks like it will rain soon.
Impressionism is similar to the trembling of leaves, the breath of the wind, the glare of the sun’s rays on the sea surface … The very essence of the direction that Paul Gauguin chose is to reflect the changing reality around.
The artist wanted to “revive” his works, to fill them with a changing reality. It must be said that in the painting “A Tree in the Farm Yard”, the famous artist succeeded.
9. Under the Mango Trees in Martinique (1887)
Paul Gauguin had a childhood craving for exotic places and considered civilization a “disease”. In 1891, having left his wife, he went to Haiti, where he wrote the best works.
“Under the Mango Trees in Martinique” was written spontaneously. In 1887, the artist had money problems, so he had to go to America to work.
Returning back, the famous artist noticed Martinka, and could not resist the spell of the island. If not for the decision of Paul Gauguin to stop on this island, a series of amazing works would not have been created!
For 4 months on this island, he created 12 paintings. Particular attention in the painting “Under the Mango Trees in Martinique” is attracted by a blue stripe in the distance – this color symbolizes calmness and tranquility.
8. Are you jealous? (1892)
Paintings created in Oceania carry the spirit of an unfamiliar, but alluring aesthetic world for the viewer.. Gauguin very deftly conveyed on his canvases the feeling of paradise and whole people. They are beautiful, healthy and live in harmony with nature.
The exhibition of 1893, at which the painting “Are you jealous?” was presented to the public, caused her only laughter. Gauguin was accused of barbarism and anarchism, but the artist only tried to be as sincere as possible in his artistic activity, when others abandoned what they had begun.
The picture perfectly conveys the bliss and peace that Tahitian women have. “Are you jealous?” was written during Gauguin’s first stay in Tahiti, in 1982.
7. Les Misérables (1888)
Self-portrait dedicated to Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), painted by Paul Gauguin shortly before his arrival in Arles, is a kind of game-competition between artists. Paul Gauguin refers the viewer to Jean Valjean, the hero of the novel by Victor Hugo (1802-1885), a former convict.
As you can already guess, his fate is not easy … Paul Gauguin liked to present himself as a passionate rebel who could not find his place in the society of the bourgeoisie. To enhance the effect, he shifted his face from the center of the picture to the left, stepping over all the traditions of painting.
In addition, part of the face is in the shade, while the other is illuminated by the sun. For reference: in this technique of performing a self-portrait, the dual nature of Paul Gauguin is read. He probably wanted to hint about it himself.
6. Day of the Divinity (1894)
Paul Gauguin painted The Day of the Deity in 1984, now in the Art Institute of Chicago.. Here are obvious sources of inspiration for the artist. Tahitian women are dressed in white – their outfits resemble Egyptian dancing figures. They seem to float in the air!
And the deity taaroa (the central part of the picture) is depicted exactly according to the myths that Gauguin was interested in. The three naked figures seem to symbolize creation, and the poses speak of the overwhelming divine energy of the deity behind them.
The water is also attractive in the picture – it is filled with amoebic forms. It is quite possible that these are just forms designed to fill the picture with a certain mood.
5. Pears and Grapes (1872)
Still life “Pears and grapes” – this is the first of the works of Paul Gauguin in the collection of the French artist. The researchers found in this work the characteristic features of impressionism, as well as the ideal expression of plasticity and decorativeness.
The canvas depicts an extremely simple motif: fruits on the table. The pears gleam, and the grapes are juicy and ripe. It is felt that the space surrounding the fruit is filled with light – it “breathes”, shines!
The whole composition is impregnated with a clot of weightless medium. The artist painted this picture in the spirit of impressionism, which was very close to him.
4. Vision after the Sermon (1888)
Having moved to the French province and spent some time there, Paul Gauguin argued that the local people are natural and more sincere, which cannot be said about the inhabitants of the capital. The measured Breton atmosphere became the inspiration for writing The Vision After the Sermon..
The work is distinguished by its unusual composition, it is visually divided into 2 parts: an imaginary world and a real one. Gauguin depicts on the canvas people praying against a background showing an imaginary scene – Jacob grappled with an angel. The canvas is divided into 2 parts by wood: it is dominated by deep, rich colors.
For reference: Paul Gauguin borrowed the separation effect from Japanese drawings, which also inspired him to create figures in the process of wrestling.
3. Breton Peasant Women (1886)
On the canvas of Paul Gauguin, we see 4 Breton peasant women dressed in light-colored suits.. They are talking while standing against the wall, and in the background you can see a farmer walking in the other direction.
There is no horizon in the picture – this effect is felt because of the woman on the right – she is standing with her head bowed down. The strokes with which the artist draws are free, but the main lines are compressed, separating the forms and increasing the rich colors.
In addition, white collars on women, freely hanging in all directions, serve as accent spots.
2. Joy (1892)
This picture is the author’s imaginary Haiti. He saw him like that. With another girl, Tehomana sits by a tree and looks with a melancholy look. The girl plays the flute, which creates the effect of serenity.
In the background, a man makes his offerings, obviously he is a believer. But what stands out the most is the color. The painting “Joy” by Gauguin is absolutely harmonious.
Paul Gauguin commented on his work as music he created with colors and lines. The artist drew inspiration from nature, rich in colors and shapes.
1. Fair Angel (1889)
Woman on canvas – Maria Angelica Star, Major’s wife, for which Gauguin picked up a blue background, and outlined it around. It looks like a picture in a mirror. To the left of the woman is a Peruvian mummy, part of the collection of Paul Gauguin’s mother.
Angelica’s clothes create a sense of exoticism, which also betrays her face. Van Gogh noticed that the woman was looking at the artist like a heifer.
To this comment, Maria Angelica replied: “What a horror,” because everyone considered her the most beautiful girl in the area. When Gauguin finished the work and showed it to Mary, she threw the portrait in his face.