An Artist Who Inspires- Paul Gauguin

Paul Gauguin. A giant of the art world, to the extent where one hardly thinks of him at all.

Like Degas' dancers and VanGogh's sunflowers, Gauguin is ubiquitous in popular culture to the extent that his work, and what it has to teach us, isn’t given the respect it deserves by some "serious" artists.

But truthfully, I return to him again and again.

Here, while painting a piece called "Look Out", I had my trusty Gauguin book, laying on the floor beside my easel, so I could catch it out of the corner of my eye as I worked.

The issue? I needed permission to make my figure orange. It's okay to paint orange skin.

Gauguin has shown me so.

Skin painted with orange, green, and blue- not just variations of pink and brown I seem to regulate myself to.

Skin tone. Let's talk about skin tone.

Look Out- work in progress ©lesliepetersonsapp

Gauguin, Ia Orana Maria (Hail Mary), 1892

Gauguin is well known for the paintings he did while living in  Tahiti, and for his sensual depictions of the people he encountered there. He is considered to be one of the first Primitivists in art.

Primitivism is an art movement that was developed along with European colonialization.

The art of non-European lands came to influence and educate the artists in Europe and led to exciting new forms of abstraction, such as geometric designs, exaggerated body proportions and stark contrasts. It is part of what makes Modern Art and Post-Impressionism so beautiful and engaging.

But unfortunately, it didn’t just stop with what non-European art could teach them.

It also included a Eurocentric romanticization of a contrived and idealized “past” in which humans were in “harmony” with nature, and expressive of our “natural” drives and desires. Instead of seeing these other cultures on their own terms, they were viewed through a European lens, and reflected back on what it meant to be European.

Gauguin, Pape Moe (Mysterious Water) 1893

It seems funny to me that I found myself looking at paintings of Tahitians to get the tone I am looking for in my painting- unless, of course, the man in Look Out is Tahitian.

Gauguin, Self-portrait with Manao Tupapau, 1893

The license Gauguin took in his use of color isn’t just about how he depicted figures. His expressionistic use of color pervades all objects and landscapes. Yellow skies and red soils abound.

Using color in unconventional ways is universal in his work, no matter if the scene is in Tahiti, or France, no matter who the subject was.

Looking at a Gauguin is an “embarrassment of riches” when it comes to what one can learn and be influenced by.

In fact, how he compositions his images, and how he simplifies shapes has had more of an impact on my work than his use of color.

Gauguin, The White Horse, 1898

But, being influenced by Gauguin’s bold use of color helps me stretch my comfort level and key up my palette when needed.

Gauguin, Vision After the Sermon, 1888

Gauguin, Breton Woman in Prayer 1894

Gauguin, The Cellist (Portrait of Fritz Scheklud) 1894

Gauguin, Maneo Tupapau (The Spirit of the Dead Watching) 1892