Son of a Republican journalist; a pilot's apprentice who became a lieutenant in the merchant marine; an assistant broker, where his uncle, who is engaged in patronage and collecting art objects, arranged for him. What do this man and the outstanding creator Paul Gauguin have in common? What is the hidden meaning of his paintings? Are the answers to the questions asked by him in the title of his masterpiece known? We will talk about this and other below.
Painting 1888 "Vision after the Sermon or Jacob's Struggle with the Angel"
Paul Gauguin was born in 1848 in beautiful Paris and died in 1903 in French Polynesia. His life was not fanned with recognition and fame, although many famous artists of the time, including Degas and Pissarro, spoke highly of his work. The novel "The Moon and the Penny" by the famous playwright S. Maugham was written about him.
Paul Gauguin.
The year 1888 is truly a turning point in the evolution of his creativity. While still an impressionist at heart, Gauguin uses a muted color in his painting, as if lightly hitting the canvas with a brush, in the spirit of his teacher C. Pissarro.
But gradually the inner gaze prevailed in him and the direct nature of the models - Breton women, laundresses and bathers - faded into the background.
Synthesizing the actual form and imaginary feelings, the artist became interested in clauzonism (by analogy with clauzon enamel), which promotes the simplification of forms in flat color. Gauguin belongs to the innovation - carved lines, brightly separating the colored glazes.
Promotional video:
During this period, the artist's work is most productive. It was in Pont-Aven that he wrote his iconic, world-famous "Vision after the Sermon or Jacob Fighting with an Angel."
The picture amazes with its energetic composition: a tree trunk, a parishioner, a small figurine of a bull, fighting Jacob and an angel.
With this metaphor, Gauguin seeks to show the daily stubborn confrontation between man and God, who gave him the right to free choice.
Turning to the Japanese flavor and using a bright contrast of colors - red, blue, white - the artist thereby shows that inside a person two opposites are fighting - the material and the spiritual. But the latter just depends on how often you offer your prayer to God, remaining alone with him.
Many believe that in this picture Gauguin showed himself and his own inner struggle.
Creation of the painting “Where did we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?"
This masterpiece was painted in 1897. According to the artist himself, after its completion, he even wanted to poison himself. Whether it was so in reality is not known for certain to anyone. But the creative impulse was preceded by a number of tragedies, which he perceived very acutely, identifying them with his death.
First of all, a difficult financial situation. Although Gauguin categorically rejected the assistance offered by the government, calling it a handout.
In addition, serious illness and addiction to alcohol worsened.
But the main crushing blow was dealt to Gauguin with a small note (1891), where it was reported that his daughter Alina died at the age of 21.
After that, he completely severed all relations with his wife, who considered him the cause of his daughter's death, and renounced religion, writing: "If my daughter died, then why do I need God?"
The result of the moral and physical suffering he experienced was this truly unique masterpiece, vividly setting out the author's philosophy.
15 mystical symbols in the picture
Important! Why, having created his most famous masterpiece, Paul immediately went to the mountains, holding a box of poison in his pocket? What is the key to this behavior of the author?
You can see the painting in Boston, on display at the Museum of Fine Arts. Its name is written in French. The originality of the writing style lies in the need to “read” the plot from the right side to the left, by analogy with Kabbalah. Gauguin was always very interested in this teaching.
To understand, you need to know the meaning of the symbolism written by him:
- A sleeping child is a human soul that has not yet found its embodiment in earthly life. As a theosophist, the author presents the human soul, which has not yet received a material body, as an image of a baby with his absolute happiness.
- The symbol of earthly grief is a dog.
- Three women are the first stage of the bodily existence of the soul, which is not preoccupied with its own knowledge. There is no need for introspection and doubt. The enjoyment of happiness on earth prevails.
- A man picking a fruit is a person's desire to learn the secrets of the universe. This innate desire manifests itself in some, but not in others.
- A silhouette with a hand on its head is the second stage of life on earth, when the soul has already despaired of finding answers to serious questions.
- Two sages in red robes sharing their ideas - the third stage, when the ability to analyze their actions appears.
- The personification of the spiritual path is a bird.
- A woman in black clothes is the highest stage in the development of the spirit and comprehension of earthly life. After going through a lot of suffering, the soul is filled with sorrow and tranquility, because in the end its reward will be eternal bliss and peace.
- The symbol of eternity is the source.
- The divine statue embodies the hope of resurrection in the heavenly booths.
- A teenager means the embryonic development of the spirit. This is an association with people who are inclined to the bodily, but have not managed to comprehend themselves spiritually.
- A goat, a kitten, a puppy assert the carelessness of material life, to which spiritual searches are alien.
- Naked nature is a voluptuousness inherent in those who are content exclusively with material goods.
- An old woman - the hopelessness of the end of her life. Her soul is amorphous without completing its development.
- The inevitability of the hour of death is shown by a bird with a lizard in its claws.
Gauguin decided to poison himself
Intending to live the rest of his life in nature, Gauguin left for Tahiti at the age of 45. But problems with local authorities made his life on the island paradise unbearable. Lack of work and livelihood became the reason that the artist fell into depression. In addition, the plural chronic diseases that pestered him worsened: disturbances in the work of the heart, dizziness, eczema.
Having finished his masterpiece, shortly before the onset of 1898, he took a box of poison and went to the mountains.
Back to life
Fortunately, the poisonous dose was too low, and Paul returned to his house in the morning, where he fell asleep soundly. Along with the awakening, an irresistible desire for life returned to him. The artist was hired, and the paintings sold quickly. Mystically, the picture became biographical.
Paul Gauguin Self-portrait.
Gauguin recovered from eye disease and entered a new stage of his creative life. And although his canvases remained close to the theme of the one that became his testament, they are filled with the sun and colors.
Throughout his life, being in a tireless search, Gauguin managed to create his own style. Was that his goal? Most probably not. Being an unbending creator by nature, he embodied in his paintings a unique mosaic of his life path, which was formed not due to hothouse conditions, but in spite of all difficult trials. Therefore, his paintings are music, consisting of separate sounds-strokes, which we enjoy as a symphony to the beauty of the world.
Zhanna Lyubarskaya
