Oil Paint
Oil paint is a slow-drying paint made with pigment and a drying oil binder. It is widely used for artwork because it blends smoothly and develops rich color.
Painter
Paul Gauguin
Paul Gauguin was a French Post-Impressionist painter known for bold flat colors, simplified forms, and paintings made in Brittany and French Polynesia.
Paul Gauguin quick facts
Review Gauguin's Post-Impressionist career, bold use of color, subjects from Brittany and French Polynesia, and documented painting materials.
| Born | June 7, 1848 · Paris, France |
|---|---|
| Died | May 8, 1903 · Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands |
| Nationality | French |
| Movements | Post-Impressionism · Synthetism |
| Paint types | Oil paint · Watercolor · Gouache |
| Painting surfaces | Canvas · Wood · Paper |
| Painting methods | Flattened color areas, simplified contours, and expressive rather than naturalistic color; watercolor and gouache in works on paper |
| Common subjects | Breton landscapes and religious subjects, portraits, still lifes, and scenes depicting people and places in French Polynesia |
| Other media | Wood carving, ceramics, prints, and drawing |
| Notable works | Vision after the Sermon, The Yellow Christ, and Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? |
Sources: The Met: Gauguin exhibition, The Met: Tahitian Landscape, oil on canvas, The Met: Three Tahitian Women, oil on wood, The Met: The Artist's Portfolio, watercolor and gouache, National Gallery of Art: Nave Nave Fenua, gouache on paper.
Paint types used
Explore oil paint, watercolor, and gouache documented in Gauguin's paintings and works on paper, with guides to each material.
Watercolor Paint
Watercolor paint is a water-based art medium made with pigment and a water-soluble binder. It is known for transparent color that settles into absorbent paper.
Gouache Paint
Gouache paint is an opaque, water-based art medium made with pigment and a water-soluble binder. Traditional formulas dry to a matte finish and can be reactivated with water.
Surface types used
Explore canvas and wood supports for Gauguin's oil paintings, alongside paper used for watercolor and gouache studies.
Canvas
Canvas is a woven fabric support used for paintings, banners, bags, décor, and other projects. Artist canvas may be raw, sized, acrylic-primed, oil-primed, or factory-coated, and each condition changes how paint absorbs and bonds.
Wood
Wood is a natural, porous material with grain patterns and absorbency that vary by species and cut. Its surface may also contain knots, resin, or an existing finish.
Paper
Paper is an absorbent sheet material made primarily from cellulose fibers. Its weight, sizing, surface texture, and wet strength determine how much paint it can accept before buckling, pilling, bleeding, or warping.
Painters similar to Paul Gauguin
Explore artists connected to Gauguin through Post-Impressionism, simplified forms, and expressive approaches to color.
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter known for expressive color, energetic brushwork, and a highly visible paint surface.
Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne was a French Post-Impressionist painter known for still lifes, landscapes, and portraits built through measured brushstrokes and color.
Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse was a French artist known for vivid color, simplified forms, Fauvist painting, and the gouache-painted paper cut-outs of his later career.