Activity #13


In attempts to expand my vocabulary and knowledge of the biographical background of two distinct works by Paul Gauguin, I will further examine the style, movement, period, and culture to which the works belong. The appearance of Fantata te Miti (By the Sea), 1892, oil on canvas is abstract - as it focuses on the main figures while using simple lines to create their limbs and subtle curves to form and highlight the feminine qualities of the women. Paul Gauguin is regarded very highly for his trademark style of using vivid colors (brilliant shades of pinks, oranges, and purples) commonly classified as tropical colors in addition to designs centered on the more “primitive” cultures (National Gallery of Art). As a French native during the Industrial Revolution, Gauguin reviled the deterioration of society as it moved further away from core values and towards a more narcissistic society (Getlein 500). Fantata te Miti captures a simple scene of three main figures engaging in aquatic activities (one women is enjoying the Sea and another is removing her attire to join as a nearby fisherman also takes advantage of the warm climate). This landscape composition, which is a direct reflection of the post impressionism movement and its desire to make society more aware of its lack of substance, is a wonderful depiction of the tranquility and intimacy towards nature that Gauguin may so have desired .

The second design by Paul Gauguin was created in 1897 using the same medium and support, oil on canvas. The Bathers has an abstract appearance, as does the former design, although the four female figures are more distorted in appearance. Gauguin’s trademarked style in respect to his vibrant use of color is softer with a more glazed appearance and use of open palette, his use of thick bold lines are replaced with less intense contour lines to define the figures, and his typical thick and heavy brush strokes are substituted with smaller brush strokes. The theme of daily life in this design has an undertone of the sacred realm - the figures appear more serene and ritualistic as created by the use of light (National Gallery of Art). In this work Gauguin had recently returned to Haiti from an unsuccessful trip to his native France to sell his designs in order to sustain his second family(Getlein 501). The shift from the typically more vivid tertiary colors of (yellow-green, red-orange, and blue-violet) as well as the use of broader brush strokes may have been directly related to experiences encountered while in Paris. In comparison to his impressionist predecessors whom he may have regarded as depicters of unauthentic realities, Paul Gauguin and other artist of the post impressionism movement during the period of the Industrial Revolution, relished in creating designs that promote a return to the simpler times while discouraging the overindulgence of humanity (Getlein 499).

Bibliography
Getlein, Mark. Living with Art. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005.
National Gallery of Art. "The Collection: Paul Gauguin". (2006): n. pag. Online. Internet. 9 Feb. 2006. Available: nga.org.