artist

Paul Gauguin

    130 
    Click to Favorite
    Click to Share

Paul Gauguin was one of the great figures of the Symbolist movement. Inspired by Pissarro, he abandoned a career in stockbroking and began painting in an Impressionist manner. However, during his time working alongside Émile Bernard in Pont-Aven, he developed a style known as Synthetism that signalled a dramatic move away from purely imitative art by its use of large areas of flat color. This was followed by his now famous and incident-filled stay with Vincent van Gogh at Arles. He was increasingly fascinated with African and Asiatic ‘primitive’ art that echoed his own search for non-representational, symbolic expression. His yearning for the exotic culminated with a move to Tahiti and his masterpiece Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? (1897). Suffering from syphilis, he died in 1901 on the Maquesas Islands. He influenced not only Fauvism, but the entire direction of 20th century painting.

Read more

Editorial (10)

See all
A Deadly Hue: Scheele's Green

A Deadly Hue: Scheele's Green

In this series, we explore the stories behind certain pigments - natural and synthetic - and how these hues, and artists’ un…

When Impressionism Shocked the World

When Impressionism Shocked the World

(Want to explore the history of other movements, styles, and schools? Check out our series.)…

The Insider's Guide: An Art-Filled Trip to Denmark

The Insider's Guide: An Art-Filled Trip to Denmark

When cultures become “viral,” they’re often repackaged as simplified, easy-to-digest versions of themselves. Exhibit A: Denm…

Playlists (47)

See all
17

Kunstmuseum Basel: Curated Picks

Click to More
17

Musée de l'Orangerie: Curated Picks

Click to More

Related artists

See all
Émile Bernard

Émile Bernard

French, 1868–1941
Paul Sérusier

Paul Sérusier

French, 1864–1927
Camille Pissarro

Camille Pissarro

French, Danish, 1830–1903

Works (90)

Date updatedTime periodName