Paul Gaugin
Paul Gaugin was born in Paris in June 1884. Until his father died, he spent his childhood in Peru. After a spell at sea, he went into a stockbroker's office where he did well. In 1873,he married a Danish girl, had five children and after 12 years, aged 37, he left his family to devote himself to painting.He had begun to draw and paint soon after his marriage and he collected Impressionist paintings.He painted with Pissarro and contributed to the fifth Impressionist Exhibition, exhibiting also in1881/82 and 86. His move to Pony-Aven in Brittany led him to the symbolism which was his point of departure from Impressionist ideas.His stay at Arles with Van Gogh in 1888 heightened his sense of colour. After their disastrous quarrel, he went to Tahiti in 1891 -93 and after 1895 when he returned permanently to the South Seas, his paintings attain in colour and design that next step beyond Impressionism. Gaugin died at Atuana, Marquesas Islands on May 8th 1903. We were surprised by the variety of his work, usually associating him with the Tahitian paintings. We enjoyed his landscapes, flower paintings, prints and drawings.
