Paul Gauguin, His Life and Art
Published in the early 20th century, 'Paul Gauguin, His Life and Art' by John Gould Fletcher is a biographical account of the influential French post-impressionist painter Paul Gauguin. The book explores Gauguin's artistic evolution, personal struggles, and his quest for authenticity as he sought a deeper connection to life through his experiences in Tahiti. It also contextualizes his life within the sociopolitical backdrop of France, particularly the impact of the 1848 French Revolution on his family, including his mother, Flora Tristan, a notable socialist. This work highlights Gauguin's rebellion against societal norms and his dedication to art free from conventional constraints.
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“Every artist carries upon his shoulders a profound moral responsibility. This responsibility is not, as supposed, the duty of teaching us to conform to the modern official distortion of Christian ethics, by which we are ruled. It is not the duty of upholding a system of negations, of prohibitions, of compromises, striking at the very roots of life. It is a far nobler, far more difficult task. The duty of the artist is to affirm the dignity of life, the value of humanity, despite the morbid prejudices of Puritanism, the timid conventionality of the mob, despite even his own knowledge of the insoluble riddle of suffering, decay and death.””
— John Gould Fletcher
