1848-1903

Eugene Henri Paul Gauguin was born June 7, 1848 in Paris, France to his father journalist Clovis Gauguin and mother Alina Maria Chazal, daughter of the , and a Peruvian father who was from an influential family in Peru. In 1850 the Gauguin family moved to Peru when he was a young child but Paul’s father died on the voyage leaving 18month old Paul, his mother and sister alone. The family moved in with Gauguin’s Peruvian uncle and stayed for 4 years. At the age of 7 the family returned to France, moved to Orleans to live with his grandfather. The Gauguins were originally from the area and were market gardeners or green grocers. Gauguin means “walnut-grower”. Gauguin learned French and spoke Peruvian Spanish. Paul went to school in France and did well. At the age of 17, Gauguin became a pilot’s assistant in the merchant marine to fulfill his military service. Three years later he joined the French Navy and served for two years returning from the Caribbean when his mother died. Upon his return, he got a job in Paris as a stockbroker with the help of his mother’s boyfriend Gustave Arosa. Gauguin became a successful Parisian businessman and remained in Paris for 11 years. In 1873 he married a Danish woman Mette-Sophie Gad. Over the next 10 years they had 5 children.

It was at this time Gauguin while he was a stockbroker that Gauguin began to paint in his free time. The family lived in a section of Paris where all the Impressionist painters lived. He visited galleries in the area and met many artists. He formed a friendship with Pissaro and visited him on Sundays to paint in his garden. Pissaro introduced Gauguin to other Impressionist artists. Gauguin began to show some of his art in the Impressionist Exhibitions held in 1881 and 1882. He even painted with Pissaro and Cezanne over two summer holidays.

In 1884 Gauguin and his family moved to Copenhagen Denmark so he could pursue a career as a tarpaulin salesman. This was not a success because Gauguin did not know Danish and the Danes did not want to buy his tarpaulins. Gauguin’s wife had to support them by giving French lessons to diplomats. Gauguin decided to paint fulltime and it was then that his marriage and family fell apart. In 1885 Gauguin returned to Paris without his family.

Without any money Gauguin received a loan from Degas who approved of Gauguin’s theories on the importance of line. Gauguin went to Pont-Aven to work with Emil Bernard to develop the idea of Synthetism, a style in which the expression of ideas and emotions are more important than naturalistic representations and flat color areas like in Japanese woodcuts are outlined by heavy black lines similar to cloisonné or stained-glass windows. Leaving the Impressionistic style, Gauguin began to paint in this manner. In 1887 Gauguin made an unsuccessful trip to Martinique, the first place he visited in search for a primitive way of life.

In 1888 Gauguin became friends with spent several weeks working together at van Gogh’s home at Arles. Their time together ended when van Gogh and Gauguin had a heated argument.

Gauguin left van Gogh returned to Brittany before leaving for in his continued search for the simple life and peace of mind. It was in Tahiti that Gauguin’s style matured, it was a fusion of Oriental influences, personal symbolism, warm color, strong design and rich expression. Gauguin remained in Tahiti until 1893 when his health began to decline and he had little money and moved to Paris. It was then Gauguin showed some of his Tahitian pieces. The reviews were mixed toward his primitive style and he failed to sell much. He stayed in Paris until 1895 when he returned to Tahiti. It was in 1901 that Gauguin finally left Tahiti because he was seriously ill and in trouble with the French authorities who ruled Tahiti so he moved to Marquesas, for a cheaper and easier life. His health eventually deteriorated and he died on May 8, 1903.

You can read Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists: Gauguin by Mike Venezia (in the office) and or use parts to help with his biographical information.

Harvest Scene (Les Meules) 1889

The scene is a late Breton painting done in the style known as Synthetism. Outlines are simplified, and both large and small color areas are marked off in black or blue. Gauguin here uses a much brighter palette than that of his early works, and yellows predominate. The composition breaks down into succession of patterns that are extremely decorative.

Questions for discussion

What do you think the title is? Harvest Scene

What inspired Gauguin most in his art work? Life on the faraway islands of the South Pacific. He loved the colors he saw in the jungle.

What season of the year has Gauguin painted in this picture? How can you tell? Fall: use of fall colors like oranges, yellows and browns, fall is the time when crops are harvested

What do you notice about the colors and lines in this painting? The lines and colors are bold, bright: reds, oranges, greens. Simple outlined shapes, and flat areas of color with curved edges.

What is unusual about this painting? Is it realistic? Not realistic, has a dreamlike quality, lines around all the objects, real objects and people

What images do you see in the painting? Peasant women harvesting grain, farmer, oxen, large bales/rolls of hay, houses and trees in the background

What do you notice about the farmer and the women’s outfits? They are old-fashioned, women in skirts to work in the field, their hats are different.

What items in the painting tell you it was painted long ago? Peoples’ outfits, the use of animals in the field, no farm equipment

What is the vantage point, or from what direction do you see the painting? We are above the farmer looking down, above the scene

How does the painting make you feel? How do the colors help you feel that way? Bright yellow- sunny, hot, happy, Red- hot

If the background was a dark color, how would the painting feel? Dull, tiresome, like the work was drudgery

What direction is the farmer going? Down to the right, on a diagonal

How are the women placed in the painting? In a line, horizontal

Do you like the painting? Why?

Would you like to have it in your house? Why?

Summarize their observations making sure to note these elements of style: Gauguin used flat bright colors and simple shapes inspired by the South Pacific He often painted what he saw but liked to add things from his imagination

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