Paul Gauguin (1848-1903)
Like his friend Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin was a Post-Impressionist who explored the expressionist uses of color. He was afraid that modern techniques and tools were depriving art of emotion. He moved to Tahiti to create a new style that conveyed such passion.

When he returned to France, critics called his paintings "savage" and "barbaric," but Gauguin was proud of such comments. He felt that only a simple, "barbaric" style would capture the unspoiled people and nature he found in Tahiti. This painting, Matamoe, shows the intense colors he used during his stay in Tahiti.

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