Self Portrait With Yellow Christ (1891)

Paul Gauguin's father was a journalist from Orléans (France) and his mother was of French and Peruvian descent. After Napoleon III became emperor of France in 1848 his father took the family to Peru where he wanted to establish a newspaper but he died before they arrive in Peru. Paul's mother stayed with her children in Lima for 4 years before returning to France. When Paul was 17 he joined the merchant marine and for 6 years he sailed around the world. His mother died in 1867. The children were then raised by businessman Gustave Arose who secured Paul a job as a stockbroker after he left the merchant marine. He was introduced by Gustave to the danish Mette Sophie Gad whom Paul married in 1873. Gustave also introduced Paul to the world of paintings. From that moment Paul started painting himself. 

Landscape At Viroflay (1876)

In 1876 his "Landscape At Viroflay" was accepted for the Salon, the official annual exhibition of France sponsored by the french government. He moved towards impressionism and collected paintings by Manet, Cézanne, Pissarro and Monet. Paul met Pissarro in 1874 and learned from him. Since 1880 he painted with Pissarro and Cézanne. He also joined a social circle of avant-garde artists that included Manet, Edgar Degas and Renoir. Paul lost his job as stockbroker when the French stock market crashed in 1882. That allowed him to paint every day. But he couldn't live on his paintings and moved to Rouen to do temporary jobs in 1884. By the end of that year they moved to Denmark for support from Mette's family. He wanted to continue painting but faced disapproval of Mette's family and therefore he returned to France in 1885 with his eldest son. Finally in Paris his paintings got attention but overshadowed by Georges Seurat's "A Sunday On La Grande Jatte".

Four Breton Women (1886)

He started making ceramic objects for sale and moved to Pont-Aven. After a severe winter there he decided to move to the warmer French Caribbean island of Martinique together with painter Charles Laval in April 1887 intending to live like a wild man. There he made exotic paintings including "Tropical Vegetation" (1887) and "By The Sea" (1887). `

Tropical Vegetation (1887)

He transformed his work from impressionism to primitivism. When he came back in France in late 1887 he became famous as an exotic painter pointing to his Peruvian ancestry. Late in 1888 he moved to Arles to stay with Vincent van Gogh through an invitation by Theo van Gogh. Their work was considered as post-impressionism. But Van Gogh's behaviour ended their friendship when Van Gogh attacked Paul with a razor. Finally Van Gogh even cut of his left ear. After 2 months Paul returned to Paris and Pont-Aven. `

Van Gogh Painting Sun Flowers (1888)
The Night Cafe (1888)

When Pont-Aven became flooded with tourists he left Pont-Aven in favour for Le Pouldu where he was influenced by a medieval religious style in his work like in "The Yellow Christ" (1889).

The Yellow Christ (1889)
The Siesta (1891)

Then he moved again to an exotic place by 1891. The French Polynesian island of Tahiti. 

Under The Pandanus (1891)

Barbarian Music (1893)

This is also where he died caused by Syphilis in 1903.

Day Of the God (1894)