Polis Gogenas (Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin) – prancūzų tapytojas, postimpresionistas.
Tapyti pradėjo sulaukęs gana solidaus amžiaus, metęs bankininko profesiją ir palikęs didžiulę šeimą. 1865–1871 m. dirbo prekybos laivyno jūreiviu. Nuo 1871 m. apsigyveno Paryžiuje ir iki 1893 m. dirbo biržos makleriu banke.
Nuo 1872 m. pradėjo savarankiškai mokytis skulptūros, vėliau – tapybos. Studijavo viduriniųjų amžių, Rytų, senovės Graikijos meną, bendravo su impresionistais, kolekcionavo jų paveikslus. 1876–1886 m. dalyvavo impresionistų parodose. Siekdamas kurti gaivų ir novatorišką meną, įspūdžių ieškojo tarp paprastų ir artimų gamtai žmonių. 1886 m. apsigyveno Bretanės pusiasalyje (subūrė dailininkus į Pont-Aveno mokyklą), vėliau – Polinezijos salose.
Išsiugdė individualų stilių. Paveikslai labai dekoratyvūs, nutapyti grynomis žėrinčiomis spalvomis, kurios sukuria vienalytes, tamsių kontūrų skiriamas plokštumas. Kūrybinio įkvėpimo ieško liaudies papročiuose, folklore. Vėliau susižavi rytietiška keramika, actekų skulptūromis, japonų graviūromis.
Okeanijos salose įkvėpimo semiasi iš europietiškos estetikos kriterijų nepaliesto meno, egzotiškos gamtos ir vietinių žmonių primityvaus gyvenimo. Jo kūryboje vešli Taičio gamta, ryškūs šviesos ir saulės prisodrintų intensyvių spalvų kontrastai, natūralus augalų dekoratyvumas. Ten susiformuoja savita ir nepakartojama Polio Gogeno meninė kalba – ekspresyvi, kupina paslaptingų mitų, simbolių ir legendų, be pigių egzotiškų atributų. Dailininkas sąmoningai nutolsta nuo natūralistinio gamtos vaizdavimo, jį domina monumentalios sintetinės formos, kurias apveda aiškiu kontūru, atmesdamas apimtį, dengia lokalinėmis, simbolinę prasmę turinčiomis dekoratyviomis spalvomis.
Dailininkas sukūrė grafikos, keramikos, medžio skulptūrų, parašė memuarus („Noa-Noa” 1897 m.). Kūryba turėjo įtakos XX a. 1 pusės modernistinės tapybos raidai, paskatino grupes „Nabis”, t. p. fovizmo, vokiškojo impresionizmo formavimąsi.
“Life of Gauguin” is the first title in the series “Art and Destiny” biographies by Henri Perruchot (the others are “Life of Manet”, “Life of Cezanne” and “Life of Toulouse-Lautrec”). He also wrote biographies of Vincent Van Gogh and Renoir, although for some reason they are not considered a part of “Art and Destiny” series. Henri Perruchot’s biographies were translated into many languages, and he became a member of the Société des gens de lettres, and is also famous as a founder of the magazine “Jardin des Arts”.
Paul Gauguin is a descendant of old Aragonese nobility, whose family became extremely wealthy in the Spanish colony of Peru. Don Mariano de Tristan Moscoso, his great-grandfather, died at a young age, having two children out of wedlock, and Gauguin’s grandmother, the fiery Flora Tristan, could not receive any inheritance from her Peruvian relatives. The fate of Gauguin women was to be poor and self-sufficient. After Gauguin’s mother, Aline, married a journalist Clovis Gauguin, they decided to flee political turmoil in France, and he died of heart attack on the way to Peru. Little Paul Gauguin remembered forever the exotic Peruvian flora and fauna, and friendly people. His lifelong dream was to return to this Paradise.
Before Aline passed away, she saw her son start his career in French Navy, traveling all over the world, and to the exotic islands he dreamt so much about. But the monotony of life at sea did not agree with him, and old family friends Messrs. Arosa and Bertin found him a job at a stockbrocker at the Paris Bourse. Active and diligent salesman, Paul Gauguin was quickly promoted, lived a comfortable life, allowing him to marry a Danish governess, Mette Sophie Gad. Five children were born early in the marriage. Gauguin became a “weekend painter”, but thought of his stockbroker career with increasing regret. Following the crush on the Paris Bourse, Gauguin makes a clean cut: he will not be a slave to the Bourse, the art is taking over his life from now on.
Looking for less expensive way of life, he travels to Denmark, only to be humiliated by his wife and her extended family: his pictures do not earn him a living. His wife does not understand him and takes every opportunity to undermine him, going even to the point where she sells his pictures and pockets the proceeds without giving any account for it. Gauguin comes back to Paris, later on to Arles to stay with Van Gogh and to Brittany, painting, learning, suffering and still staying the course. Mette barely acknowledges his existence, in spite of his loving letters and his desire to reunite the family at the first sight of any commercial success. But success eludes Gauguin, in spite of his hard work. Two of his children die during his lifetime. He is a stranger both to his wife and his younger children.
Looking for his lost Paradise, he travels to Tahiti, and later on to Marquese Islands in the Pacific, where he finds his style, his colors, and the life he loves. He lives a simple life, paints, and stands up for natives’ rights. The native people are warm and welcoming. His money troubles somewhat lessen by the end of his life, as his deal with Ambroise Vallard, a French picture dealer, provides him with a modest income. Disappointed in life and family, he dies alone. His art is to acquire its own life and to enter museum collections and sold for millions at auctions. In June 1957, his letter saying, “I am down and defeated by poverty…” was sold for $600,000 at a Hotel Drouot auction.
Dailininko gyvenimas aprašytas išsamiai. Pats gyvenimas, tiesa, atrodo ne itin ypatingas, bet skaityti neprailgo. Parašyta lengvu stiliumi, neįpareigojančiai.
i've never been a big fan of gaugein's work but - wow - his personality and private life is so interesting! i think i understand his art much better now
Beaucoup. Hardships in family life, finances, friendship, then health and at the end of life psychological problems lead to series of events that ended death with undefined cause