Paul Gauguin Art for Sale: Prints & Originals

Paul Gauguin, an emblematic figure of Post-Impressionism, revolutionised the art world with his bold experimentation of colour and synthesist approach that would pave the way for Primitivism. His work, characterised by its departure from realism, has influenced the discourse of Modern Art.

Born in Paris in 1848, Gauguin's early life was marked by frequent moves, including a formative period in Peru, which would later influence the exoticism prevalent in his oeuvre. He displayed an interest in art from a young age but initially pursued a career in the merchant marine and later in the banking industry. It wasn't until his mid-30s, after experiencing a personal and financial crisis, that Gauguin fully committed himself to his career as an artist.

Gauguin's artistic development was marked by his association with the Impressionists, though he later rejected their preoccupation with the transient effects of light and colour. Instead, he sought a more profound spiritual and emotional expression, as seen in his Synthetist style of painting that emphasised flat planes of colour and serpentine lines. His quest for authenticity led him to Brittany, where the rural, rustic life and religious devotion of the local people inspired works such as Vision After the Sermon (1888).

The most pivotal period of Gauguin's career began with his first trip to Tahiti in 1891. There, he sought freedom from the conventions of European civilisation. The lush landscapes, vibrant culture, and primitivist idealisation of the Polynesian people defined his art, as seen in paintings like Tahitian Women on the Beach (1891) and Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? (1897-1898). These works are characterised by their mystical and dreamlike qualities.

Gauguin’s painting style, characterised by flat areas of colour, can be felt in the artist’s approach to printmaking. For example, in his 1898 print Femmes, Animaux Et Feuillages, Gauguin’s use of woodcutting depicts a nude, Eve-like figure on the right poised to pluck a fruit from the tree in Paradise, indicating that the fully-clothed woman on the left has already lost her innocence and comes from a 'civilised' world. In the middle, two women inhabit Gauguin's artistic reinterpretation of the island as an unrestrained 'natural' paradise, surrounded by plants and animals inspired by Tahitian mythology. The allegorical weight of this print is heightened by the bold, highly contrasted fields of black ink.

In his later years, Gauguin was relatively isolated in the Marquesas Islands, where he continued to produce a prolific body of work until his death in 1903. His legacy is marked by his relentless pursuit of new modes of expression and his influential role in shaping Primitivism. His influence can be seen in the works of artists like Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse.

Gauguin is known for his vivid portrayals of Tahitian life, which encapsulate an idyllic, romanticised vision of the Global South. In 1891, Gauguin left France for Tahiti in search of an unspoiled landscape and new inspiration, free from the constraints of European society. His Tahitian canvases, vibrant with colour and symbolism, sought to capture the essence of an indigenous culture that he saw as more alluring than that of the industrialised West, although his perspective was inherently eurocentric and colonialist.
Gauguin's heritage includes Spanish-Peruvian aristocracy through his great-grandfather, Don Mariano Tristán Moscoso, a member of the noble Tristán Moscoso family from Arequipa, Peru. Don Mariano married French-born Anne-Pierre Laisney in the early 19th century. When Don Mariano died in 1807, his family denied Anne-Pierre and their children access to his estate. Despite their legal battles to reclaim the fortune, they remained unsuccessful. Nonetheless, Gauguin's grandmother, Flora Célestine, and her family were integrated into South America's wealthy social class. This aristocratic background and experiences travelling in his early years played a role in shaping Gauguin's exoticist artistic vision.
Given the exploitative nature of his relationships with girls as young as 13 in Tahiti, Gauguin’s work has been met with controversy. His fascination with Polynesian culture led him to live a life far removed from his early career as a stockbroker in Paris, and his depiction of Tahitian women, which focuses on their beauty and subservience, has been widely criticised for its reinforcement of colonialist tropes. Gauguin's legacy as an artist is inseparable from the debates surrounding his exploitation of indigenous cultures, making him a figure of endless fascination and academic research in the art world.