Gauguin by Himself

by Belinda Thomson (Editor)

Following established precedent, Gauguin by himself is concerned to present as comprehensive a picture of the life and work of its subject as possible, by means of the artist's paintings, drawings, ceramics, sculpture and prints on the one hand, and his written words on the other. Paul Gauguin, like Vincent van Gogh, was unusual among his contemporaries in the importance he attached to the activity of writing. As well as being a lively correspondent, at certain moments in his career he found the written word a more biddable medium for self-expression than paint and canvas. Gauguin's art and writing combined provide an extraordinary charting of his progress as he learned to master his craft and ventured forth around the colonial globe in pursuit of an elusive dream. Although compilations have been devoted to Gauguin as a writer, this is the first publication to attempt a complementary presentation of the two activities.
A complete edition of Gauguin's correspondence is in the process of being published and a number of facsimiles of his various self-contained 'books' such as his Cahier pour Aline or Noa Noa exist, but a comprehensive collection of his other writings and journalism has yet to appear. The current selection has been made with a view to providing insights into Gauguin's character and thought, as well as a concise and self-explanatory counterpoint to his artistic development; it does not pretend to be exhaustive. It draws most heavily on Gauguin's correspondence with family and friends. His writings on more general topics, most of which came at the end of his life when he was too ill to paint, are introduced in so far as seemed appropriate to elucidate the decisions he had made in life and art and his attitudes to the role of the artist in contemporary society.

Genres: Art, Biography, Nonfiction, Art History

320 pages, Hardcover

First published November 12, 1992

Reviews

[Nicole Renée · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Art is either plagiarism or revolution.” -Paul Gauguin

I stumbled upon this little gem while exploring the art section of my favorite secondhand bookshop and I must say… I was fascinated. While I had always viewed him abstractly as a man of peculiar (and even controversial) character, I had absolutely no idea how intrigued I would be by getting an almost voyeuristic look into his life and perspectives—especially through his letters. This tiny treasure of a book includes many personal letters from Gauguin—not only to his wife—but also to fellow painters Van Gogh and Pissarro and their free commentaries on contemporaries such as Cezanne, Monet and Degas.

Gauguin styled himself and his art as “savage,” and in a lost, albeit narcissistic urge to escape, I found that ultimately his definition of savageness was only framed around how it suited him in pursuit of artistic success and personal freedom. Gauguin had a thirst for the exotic and his idealization of savageness fueled both his primitive art and subsequent success.

A painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, Gauguin stands today as one of the giants of Post-Impressionism and a pioneer of Modernism. If you enjoy art history, this fascinating read shares over 200 of Gauguin’s most recognized and powerful works of art, while also giving you a unique look inside his elusive, fascinating mind—that of a lonely, depressed, and often disillusioned artist, who helped open the door to the development of 20th-century art.

[T.E. Antonino · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains the actual letters that Gauguin wrote during his life time. By reading Gauguin's letters you get an inside view of what this man's personal life was like. There's also pictures of his art work through out the book.