It was an interlude with friends visiting from Melbourne but surprisingly I found it fascinating. I hadn't expected it. This was the Gauguin exhibition at the NGA. It was big (~140 works), one of which had just been bought for the NGA and from now is his only Australian owned work. It was intriguing how he worked in so many fields (painting, woodblock and other printing, ceramics, carving, one lone bronze head. Self-taught, varied in styles and influences, fairly unsuccessful in his business ventures despite his success in his art, very well travelled (this is late 1800s; travel wasn't quick) from the youngest of age through the merchant navy and military call-ups and marriage and kids. And the reviled affairs with young Tahitian girls. We booked into a tour guide session and learned lots. He doesn't seem too easy a person, even if a self-taught master. He shared a house at one stage with Van Gogh and they had a run-in, although, as with his wife, they continued to correspond. He did have an affair with a 13-yo maid, but at that time the age of consent was 13 in UK (11 in US!) and she had several other affairs while in his employ. Apparently early sex was preparation for marriage in that culture. Odd to our ears and infuriating to some. Generally, the impressionists are not my faves, but we learnt of how he's different and how he's related. All interesting and making for an intriguing NGA mega-exhibition.
Gauguin's World : Tōna Iho, Tōna Ao was an exhibition of works of Paul Gauguin at the National Gallery of Australia.
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