Paul Gauguin

This is the 24th post in our Artist of the Week series.



Paul Gauguin was born in 1848 in Paris, France. Ever since his childhood Gauguin had been interested in art but he would first fulfill his military duty by signing on as a pilot's assistant in the merchant marine for two years. He then joined the Navy for three years before becoming a stockbroker in 1871.

Throughout this time he maintained his love of art, always visiting galleries and working on his own art in his spare time. Finally he rented a studio and showed his work in Impressionist exhibitions in 1881 and 1882.

He moved to Copenhagen in 1884 continuing his work as a stockbroker but his desire to paint only grew. He eventually moved back to Paris to paint full time, he left his family to fend for themselves in Denmark. His wife would eventually return to her family in order to try and support their five children.

Gauguin continued to travel in order to gain inspiration for his work. He spent time in Martinique where he would become influenced by Indian artwork. It was once he returned to France that he grew tired of Impressionism and longed for something different and he turned to the Cloisonnism movement. His painting "The Yellow Christ" became the quintessential Cloisonnist painting.

In 1891, Gauguin was destitute and lacking any sort of recognition for his art in France, this caused him to go on a journey sailing the tropics to find inspiration and people to appreciate his primitive and symbolic form of art. He continued traveling until his death in 1903.

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