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World of Art
Gauguin: New Edition
This authoritative account of the life and work of Paul Gauguin, one of the most original artists of the late nineteenth century, is revised and updated with color illustrations throughout.
Artist Paul Gauguin achieved a high public profile during his lifetime and was one of the first artists of his generation to achieve international recognition. But his prominence has always been tangled up with the dramatic and problematic events of his life—his self-imposed exile on a remote South Sea island and his turbulent relationships with his peers—as with the appeal of his art.
In this revised and updated edition, art historian Belinda Thomson gives a comprehensive and accessible account of the life and work of one of the most complicated artists of the late nineteenth century. Gauguin’s painting, sculpture, prints, and ceramics are discussed in the light of his public persona, his relations with his contemporaries, his exhibitions, and their critical reception. His private world, beliefs, and aspirations emerge through his extensive cache of journals, letters, and other writings. Fully illustrated in color, and drawing on the new, more global conversation surrounding the artist, Gauguin is the definitive volume on this controversial and often contradictory figure.
Artist Paul Gauguin achieved a high public profile during his lifetime and was one of the first artists of his generation to achieve international recognition. But his prominence has always been tangled up with the dramatic and problematic events of his life—his self-imposed exile on a remote South Sea island and his turbulent relationships with his peers—as with the appeal of his art.
In this revised and updated edition, art historian Belinda Thomson gives a comprehensive and accessible account of the life and work of one of the most complicated artists of the late nineteenth century. Gauguin’s painting, sculpture, prints, and ceramics are discussed in the light of his public persona, his relations with his contemporaries, his exhibitions, and their critical reception. His private world, beliefs, and aspirations emerge through his extensive cache of journals, letters, and other writings. Fully illustrated in color, and drawing on the new, more global conversation surrounding the artist, Gauguin is the definitive volume on this controversial and often contradictory figure.
365 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 6, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 11, 2022
"Because this work stands out as such a rare instance of Gauguin's representing an active, working male figure, one is reminded of the fact that it was images of women on which he concentrated throughout his career. Gauguin was, after all, a male artist working for a male consumer market" (Thomson: 139)
This book is about Gauguin's artistic life and it covers most of his oeuvre, including ceramics or wood, something rarely taught at art history courses. The book is packed with pictures in colour, including a picture of one artwork that is often overlooked: Vase with Breton Girls, where Gauguin used the technique of cloisonnist for the first time.
To me this book isn't a celebration of Gauguin but rather a condemnation. The book does more harm than good to his persona. Throughout the book we learn about Gauguin's uncreativity, dependance on others to sell and opportunism. The author should have stated how common it is for artists to borrow from previous artists and in so doing, the idea of "imitation" wouldn't look so negative to readers that aren't familiar with how the world of art works. Even the fact that he copied from different sources is to some extent positive but the writer puts it in a way that makes it look negative.
And when the author does offer a positive value about Gauguin, she turns it down immediately, as it happens with the idea that Gauguin freed art from its thraldom to nature. This is being praised on page 203 but on the next page it is being considered as something not unique to Gauguin.
Even the author claims in the conclusion that the introduction of exotic, primitive elements into the stylistic and iconographic repertoire was Gauguin's contribution to the history of art. But she claimed earlier that Gauguin was not the first painter to exploit the Oceanic. This is a contradiction and the author should have stated how Gauguin was the first to exploit this in a repetitive way.
All in all, the book creates an image of Gauguin that could force people into hating or undervaluating him, especially those who are new to his figure. And to me, this is very bad.
This book is about Gauguin's artistic life and it covers most of his oeuvre, including ceramics or wood, something rarely taught at art history courses. The book is packed with pictures in colour, including a picture of one artwork that is often overlooked: Vase with Breton Girls, where Gauguin used the technique of cloisonnist for the first time.
To me this book isn't a celebration of Gauguin but rather a condemnation. The book does more harm than good to his persona. Throughout the book we learn about Gauguin's uncreativity, dependance on others to sell and opportunism. The author should have stated how common it is for artists to borrow from previous artists and in so doing, the idea of "imitation" wouldn't look so negative to readers that aren't familiar with how the world of art works. Even the fact that he copied from different sources is to some extent positive but the writer puts it in a way that makes it look negative.
And when the author does offer a positive value about Gauguin, she turns it down immediately, as it happens with the idea that Gauguin freed art from its thraldom to nature. This is being praised on page 203 but on the next page it is being considered as something not unique to Gauguin.
Even the author claims in the conclusion that the introduction of exotic, primitive elements into the stylistic and iconographic repertoire was Gauguin's contribution to the history of art. But she claimed earlier that Gauguin was not the first painter to exploit the Oceanic. This is a contradiction and the author should have stated how Gauguin was the first to exploit this in a repetitive way.
All in all, the book creates an image of Gauguin that could force people into hating or undervaluating him, especially those who are new to his figure. And to me, this is very bad.
June 16, 2025
I was excited to red a biography of Gauguin having already read Vargas Llosa’s fictionalised Way to Paradise, and then seeing some of his works around various European galleries. This is an authoritative account of his artistic journey, and what he was trying to do - the biggest cause of my deep admiration for Gauguin is how committed he was to his identity as an artist. And beyond that, the deep idiosyncrasies of his character which permitted him to break strict conventions of the time, and eventually, break with every of the many artistic innovations or movements that proliferated during this period in art history, finally actualising a concrete and recognisable style distinct from any other (but such an apotheosis strongly rooted in those foundations, at the same time). A must read for Gauguin fans.
September 7, 2021
I've been interested in the life and work of the French painter Gauguin ever since i read "The Moon and Sixpence" by W. Somerset Maugham which gives a fictionalised version of his life.
I saw this at my local library quite by chance and decided to give it a try.
This is the sort of book they would sell at those museum/art gallery bookshops. It's a little dry but has plenty of pictures and tells the basic story of Gauguin's life and work quite well.
A decent read.
I saw this at my local library quite by chance and decided to give it a try.
This is the sort of book they would sell at those museum/art gallery bookshops. It's a little dry but has plenty of pictures and tells the basic story of Gauguin's life and work quite well.
A decent read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews