Paul Gauguin

Paul Gauguin (7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements. He was also an influential practitioner of wood engraving and woodcuts as art forms. While only moderately successful during his lifetime, Gauguin has since been recognized for his experimental use of color and Synthetist style that were distinct from Impressionism. Leading a life full of hardship and struggle, Gauguin would move frequently in search of financial success and security, marrying and forming relationships with females of various ages (roughly age 13 and above) - an "unexceptional" occurrence in context. His sexual relationships with teenage Tahitian girls have become the subject of great interest, with his 13-year-old wife Teha'amana being the subject of several of Gauguin's paintings, including the celebrated Spirit of the Dead Watching.

In the 21st century, Gauguin's Primitivist representations of Tahiti and its people have been a subject of debate and renewed scholarly attention. His depictions of Polynesian women have been criticized for their relationship to colonialism and patriarchal power, with some critics negatively rendering Gauguin's sexual relationships with teenage Tahitian girls. In contrast, a 2025 biography Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin by Sue Prideaux, describes Gauguin as believing in gender and culture equity, following local Polynesian customs, having the approval of his Danish wife with respect to his works, and as a defender of the locals against the French colonialist oppression.