By Darla McCammon

WARSAW — This week we move beyond the famous Impressionist artists and find ourselves with an artist who would become a post-impressionist. 

Paul Gauguin self portrait. Photo provided by Darla McCammon

Paul Gauguin was born in Paris, France, on June 7, 1848. His father was a journalist, his mother from a socialist family.  

When Gauguin was only 3, the family became uncomfortable with the political climate in France and the lack of freedom of the press, so they decided to escape to Lima, Peru. On the long journey overseas Gauguin’s father became ill and died. The remaining family lived the next four years on the generosity of their relatives in Peru. 

Eventually the political climate eased up and allowed Gauguin, his sister and mother to return to Orleans, France, to live with Gauguin’s grandfather. He saw that Gauguin was well-educated and at age 17, Gauguin joined the merchant marine service followed by a stint in the French Navy.  After leaving the Navy, he began to work as a stockbroker. 

Gauguin had been appointed to a guardian in his earlier years. Following his mother’s unfortunate death, he was encouraged to live with that guardian, an art lover named Gustave Aros–one who had the wealth to collect art.  Arosa expanded Gauguin’s education as he generously introduced him to the world of art. Gauguin became friends with such celebrity artists as Delacroix, Courbet, and Corot.  Their influence was to impact his work in his later years. 

Meantime, he continued to develop as an artist/stockbroker. He married in 1873 and had five children by his wife, Mette-Sophie Gad. This large family left Paris and moved to Copenhagen (the birthplace of his wife), where he began collecting art that increased in value and also continued to paint in his leisure time. He was fortunate to have his art ability and his wise choices in his art collection by such as Renoir, Pissarro and Monet because he lost his stockbroker position during a financial crash.  As he tried to recover from the financial hardship, and bouts of depression, he decided to return to Paris and create a career in art. 

Gauguin left his wife and children in the care of various family members in Denmark and began to pursue a successful time with his art.  He developed a style of painting during this time called Symbolism, in which he achieved an almost stained-glass effect on his canvas. Within two years, he was having enough success that he sailed to tropical lands such as Martinique and Panama where he thrived in the atmosphere and casual lifestyle, even living in a tropical hut with a fellow artist.

Gauguin gained the attention of a fellow sufferer from depression, an artist named Vincent Van Gogh. The two became friends and exchanged paintings with one another. After such successful communication, Gauguin visited Van Gogh. The two artists spent nine weeks together encouraging each other, but in the end, Van Gogh’s depression returned along with violent behavior.  This, and several such episodes, caused Gauguin to return to his love of Tahiti and Polynesia where he continued to distance himself from his family in Denmark.  His self portrait (photo provided) was completed shortly after his break with Van Gogh. Interestingly, these two artists continued to support one another but from a safe distance. Gauguin maintained a distance from his wife and children and little is written about how they survived except through the largess of relatives. 

Gauguin became a drug addict in the end years of his life. He was often ill and weak. He died at age 54, following poor health and fatal illnesses. His last home was in the Marquesas islands where he had painted many of his now famous works depicting the citizens of these tropical areas.  He never returned to his wife and children and was buried on the islands he loved.

EVENTS:  Warsaw City Hall: Sherri Johnson, Batik and More through December. Warsaw City Hall. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Lakeland Art Show Exhibit Phone: (574)-267-5568 for hours and directions or email: [email protected]. Want to be an exhibitor at Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery? Very good exposure for your work and good publicity about you.  Just drop me an email to [email protected]  Subject: Art exhibit. To find out more about the many activities and lessons to be had at Lakeland Art Gallery, please visit their website or call the above phone number.