Paul Gauguin

Born in Paris on June 7, 1848, Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin became one of the key figures linked with Post-Impressionism and Symbolism. Before turning fully to art, he worked as a merchant sailor and later as a stockbroker. In the 1880s he committed himself to painting, developing a style that moved away from naturalistic detail toward strong color, flat shapes, and a more symbolic, emotional approach.

Gauguin worked in places that became central to his art, including Brittany, Martinique, and later Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands. His paintings, prints, ceramics, and carvings often drew on memory, myth, and spiritual themes rather than direct observation. During his lifetime he was not widely successful, but his work later became deeply influential for modern art.

He died on May 8, 1903, in Atuona on Hiva Oa in the Marquesas. Today he remains both celebrated for his artistic impact and discussed for the complicated, troubling aspects of his life and colonial-era legacy.