Paul Gauguin (Great Artists)

T he paintings of Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) abound with color, sensuality and the sumptuousness of nature. Equally as colorful are the details of his life. Gauguin epitomized the artist as rebel and the dramatic character of his life is almost as spectacular as his art.

Gauguin was born in Paris, but grew up in Lima, Peru. As a young man, he returned to France where he worked as a stockbroker from 1872 until 1883, when he began to paint full-time. In 1891, he went to Tahiti, a place that affected him deeply and thus had a profound effect on his art. From then until his death, he lived in the South Pacific, returning to France only once. His most famous painting, Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? was painted in Tahiti in 1897.

While Gauguin’s paintings were in part a reaction against the naturalism of the Impressionists, they stand, most importantly, as the expression of a daring and original personality. He is considered a Post-Impressionist and one of the most important artists of all time.