Gauguin

Paul Gauguin

1848 - 1903

Map: France to Tahiti

• Wanted to be free of all of the demands of life in France, especially lack of money

• Thought back to childhood in the jungles of Peru

• Took his paints, brushes, and canvasses and lived on nothing but fruits and the fist of the South Seas island

• Traveled to Tahiti searching for paradise

Open Ended

How does this picture make you feel?

Street in Tahiti

• This was paradise to Gauguin

• Place made him happy

• Unfortunately, he was allergic to the island's fruits, and he disagreed and argued with the authorities that ruled the islands

• Didn't get along well with the natives, but it still brought him happiness.

Close-Up: Street in Tahiti

• Used bright, clear, contrasting primary colors

• Many different values of the color green

• Look for brushstrokes - they aver very visible, and not blended nicely

Multiple Choice

What refers to the lightness or darkness of a color?

• Hue

• Value

• Landscape

• Primary Colors

Landscape near Arles / Haystack

• Gauguin's Street in Tahiti and these landscapes look like IMPRESSIONIST paintings

• Before he left for the south sea, Gauguin exhibit with and learned from famous Impressionist painters like Claude Monet

• Gauguin admired their new way of painting, by showing brush strokes

Near the Huts / Gauguin's Home

• He lived in a bamboo hut, and painted and tried to relax

• Painting shows kind of house he lived in

• He said the peace and stillness of night in Tahiti existed nowhere by there

Multiple Choice

Claude Monet helped inspire Gauguin to create which kind of paintings?

• Abstract

• Surrealistic

• Impressionistic

• Statues

Multiple Choice

Is this in Impressionistic style?

• Yes

• No

Woman with Mango

• Not impressionistic: Fewer brushstrokes, Flat Areas of Bright Colors

• As Gauguin lived in Tahiti, his style changed and he left behind Impressionism

• His colors brightened, his lines became bold and simple, and his PRIMARY COLORS became clear, FLAT, and powerful

Woman Sulking

• Straight angled lines of the background CONTRAST with the soft, round, woman in the FOREGROUND

• Contrast: Arrangement of opposite elements (light vs dark colors, rough vs. smooth textures, large vs small shapes)

• Foreground: Front of the painting

Open Ended

What else in the FOREGROUND carries out the contrast?

Woman Sulking

• Contrast in foreground: Bowl, Hat, Fruit

• Similarities to background: Angular and straight lines of the bent arm

• Colors match the mood of woman: Toned down colors, not bright, dull

Multiple Select

What three colors do you get when you mix the primary colors with each other?

• Orange

• Red

• Purple

• Green

Multiple Choice

What is the name of the colors Orange, Purple, and Green on the color wheel?

• Primary Colors

• Secondary Colors

• Tertiary Colors

• Complementary Colors

Siesta

• Gauguin captured the time of the day reserved for peace and quiet. It is hot in the tropics in the afternoon sun, so a few hours are set aside

• The women are shown in their traditional dresses

Poll

Do you think we should have siestas?

• Yes

• No

Multiple Select

Which THREE colors are warm colors?

• Pink

• Yellow

• Blue

• Orange

Multiple Select

Which THREE colors are Cool Colors?

• Yellow

• Green

• Blue

• Purple

Warm, Cool Colors

• Flat areas of color in background and the dresses

• Did not care for realistic color, a field could be red, and the shade blue, because that is how he wants it

• He DECORATES with color rather than imitating nature

Fill in the Blanks

What color did he use to decorate this painting that would not be true of the LOCAL COLOR?

Riders on the Beach

• LOCAL COLOR: realistic colors of the landscapes as seen in the bottom photo

• One of the islands on which Gauguin lived gave him a beautiful view of the beach and open seas from his native hut.

Self Portrait 1903

In 1901, after moving several times in search of his "perfect paradise," he left Tahiti also. What he didn't find in the South Seas, he created in his dreams to put on canvas. He was asked to leave Tahiti by the government, and he searched for still another island that would fit his dream.

End of Gauguin's Life

His health problems became worse, and for months at a time he was unable to paint. He kept to himself most of the time. He had difficulty walking, and his eyes ite was becoming dim.

He died at the age of fifty-five as an unrecognizable artist. The news of his death in Europe fanned an interest in his artwork, and his paintings started to sell and reached enormous prices throughout the passing years.

Multiple Choice

What country was Paul Gauguin from?

• Spain

• France

• Netherlands

• United States

Multiple Choice

Who was his famous friend?

• Rembrandt van Rijn

• Jacob Lawrence

• Alexander Calder

• Van Gogh

Multiple Choice

Why were van Gogh and Gauguin unable to live together?

• Different Personalities

• Both loved the same woman

• Gauguin went back to his wife

• Van Gogh didn't like him

Multiple Choice

What tragedy ended their friendship?

• Van Gogh died

• Hurricane

• Van Gogh's Razor Attack

• Volcano Eruption

Multiple Choice

Where did Gauguin look for paradise?

• South Sea Islands

• Copenhagen

• United States

• Greenland

Multiple Choice

In what style did he first begin painting?

• Abstract

• Surrealism

• Pointillism

• Impressionistic

Multiple Choice

Besides color, what was magical to Gauguin?

• Pointalism

• Line

• Space

• Form

Multiple Choice

What was NOT a problem Gauguin faced in Tahiti?

• Poor

• Alergies

• Arguing

• van Gogh

Multiple Choice

Were his colors realistic to the local color?

• Yes

• No