The Mango Trees, Martinique
1887
Escaping the gray skies of Paris in 1887, Paul Gauguin traded his stockbroker life for the lush, vibrant heat of Martinique. He captures local women harvesting mangoes here, their forms rendered with a rhythmic, almost tapestry-like brushwork that hints at his growing fascination with non-Western cultures. This tropical getaway was a pivotal turning point; the intense colors and subjects he encountered laid the groundwork for the Symbolist movement and his later, more famous Tahitian masterpieces. You can almost feel the sticky humidity as the figures go about their daily routines under the swaying palms.
Views: 7