Paul Gauguin 1

Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a French Post-Impressionist artist, now recognized for his bold use of color and the Synthetist style, which differed from Impressionism. In the last decade of his life, he lived in French Polynesia, creating paintings of its people and landscapes.

Though unappreciated during his lifetime, Gauguin's work became influential on artists like Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. His art gained popularity after his death, thanks in part to dealer Ambroise Vollard, who organized exhibitions of his work.

Gauguin was a key figure in the Symbolist movement and worked as a painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer. His use of symbolism and the cloisonnist style influenced Primitivism and the pastoral revival, and he was a strong advocate for wood engraving and woodcuts as fine art forms.