Paul Gaugin

Born: June 7, 1848
City and Country of Origin: Paris, France
Painting School: Post Impressionist
Art Training: Studied with Camille Pissarro
Exhibitions: Impressionists Exhibitions in 1876, 1880, 1881, 1882, and 1886
Awards:
Major Works: "Two Tahitian Women with Mango," "Mountain Road"
Paul Gaugin Biography: Gaugin started his career as a merchant marine and as a successful Parisian stockbroker. After seeing the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874 he became a collector and an amateur painter. In 1883 he gave up his job to focus on his painting leaving his wife and children without means of support. Under the influence of the painter Emile Bernard he turned away from the Impressionist mantra of capturing the moment towards a less natural style called synthetism. He spent some time with Cezanne and while living for a short period of time in Provence with Vincent van Gogh he was introduced to Japanese prints. He now began using large flat areas of unnaturalistic color in his paintings. Deeply in debt, in 1891, he left European civilization for good. He sailed to the South Pacific where he would live out his years, first in Tahiti and then Marquesas Islands, painting scenes from tropical paradise. He was not recognized as a major force in the art world until after his death.
Died: May 3, 1903