Melancholic and sensual,
this beautiful Polynesian woman reaches out to the viewer through the vibrancy
of her bright colours and heavy outlines. Although a traditional pose has been
used, the artist has avoided the usual rules of Western art. The forms are
simple, the colours clash, and there is no depth or perspective. Gauguin
personified the turn-of-the-century desire to return to a romantic idea of
primitive life. Leaving his family and successful career, he went to live in
Tahiti. In his book Noa Noa about his life there he wrote, ‘I have escaped
everything that is artificial and conventional. Here I enter into Truth, become
one with nature.’ In Tahiti he strove to capture the impulsive, instinctive
immediacy of primitive art. Gauguin was among the first to use colour for
purely decorative or emotional purposes. This, together with his simplified,
non-naturalistic style of painting, has made him one of the most important
contributors to modern art.
Woman with a Flower
Oil On Canvas, 70 x 46 cm
Oil On Canvas, 70 x 46 cm
Paul Gauguin, 1891
