revolution of 1848, when their republican stance was not popular with the French authorities. Gauguin’s early childhood was spent in Lima in the home of his maternal great-uncle, who had served as viceroy of Peru, and in retirement presided over his silver mines and sugar plantations from a fortress-like palace. Paul was seven years old when he returned to the gray skies of Europe. He had difficulty learning French and adapting to “civilized” life, calling himself “a savage from Peru.” Gauguin eventually settled into a career as a stockbroker, married a Danish girl, and fathered five children. But he continued painting, becoming an influential member of the Impressionist, then the post-Impressionist and Symbolist schools. Gauguin’s evolution as an artist, well-traced by Prideaux, would require another review.
The stock market crash of 1882 was disastrous for Gauguin. Decades of penury ensued: he traveled from place to place, trying to earn enough from his art to survive and support his wife and children. In one bizarre incident, he lived and painted with Van Gogh in Arles during the time the Dutch artist cut off his ear. At another point, Gauguin moved with his family to Denmark, but he could not earn a living there. His wife stayed, getting support from her family, but their marriage was not dissolved: before Gauguin’s first trip to Tahiti, he wrote her that he hoped for them all to be reunited in three years. He never saw them again. Gauguin first travelled to Tahiti as an ambassador for the so-called “civilizing mission” of French colonial propaganda. He was quickly disillusioned by the imposition of European customs and morality on Polynesian culture. A colonial exploiter? On the contrary, Gauguin fought for the rights of Indigenous people, exposing French injustices and corruption in the Tahitian newspapers. Penniless, ailing but still artistically (and amorously) adventurous, Gauguin continued producing works in various media, including woodcuts, sculpture, and carving. He died in 1903, probably as the result of a heart attack and complications from an old injury. The rumor of syphilis was quelled when an excavation of a well next to Gauguin’s hut discovered several teeth. When they were tested, no trace of anti-syphilis medication was found. In conclusion, this rich biography illuminates the extraordinary life and work of a visionary artist vital to the French avant-garde. If nothing else, skim through it and enjoy the sumptuous reproductions. Comments are closed.
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