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During this time, Gauguin combined success in business with his growing interest in painting. He became a 'Sunday painter', befriended Camille Pissaro and other Impressionist artists whose work he began to collect. He rented a studio and exhibited in the Impressionists' exhibitions in 1881 and 1882.
In 1883 Gauguin left Paris with his family for Copenhagen. But business success diminished as his commitment to art increased. Unable to provide for his family, his wife returned to her family with the children and Gauguin returned to France, this time to Pont-Aven and Le Pouldu in Brittany.
In 1883 Gauguin left Paris with his family for Copenhagen. But business success diminished as his commitment to art increased. Unable to provide for his family, his wife returned to her family with the children and Gauguin returned to France, this time to Pont-Aven and Le Pouldu in Brittany.
Gauguin had now begun to live as an artist – at least, the manner of his lifestyle took the shape of what has become a caricature of an artist's life. He was constantly short of money. He spent a great deal of time in local bars discussing art with other artists, including Paul Sérusier, Emile Bernard, Emile Schuffenecker, Louis Anquetin and Meyer de Haan.
Gauguin's forceful personality, intelligence and restless curiosity dominated the group, but together they developed a style they coined Synthétisme.
As its name suggests, this style acknowledged disparate influences. From Emile Bernard's enamelling technique came the term cloisonnisme, enclosing pure bright colour in hard, black outlines. This resonated with an interest in folk art and in the fashion for Japanese curios and woodcut prints which had begun to flood Europe after trade re-opened with Japan in the middle of the nineteenth century. Through Bernard, Gauguin also began to extend an interest in medieval art.
All these interests accentuated a departure from conventional three-dimensional perspective and a concentration on flatter planes where less modulated colour filled clearly outlined shapes. Although Gauguin is best known for the work he later completed in Tahiti, the foundations for his particular style and pre-occupation with colour and shape were laid down during his sojourn in Brittany between 1886–1890.
Gauguin's forceful personality, intelligence and restless curiosity dominated the group, but together they developed a style they coined Synthétisme.
As its name suggests, this style acknowledged disparate influences. From Emile Bernard's enamelling technique came the term cloisonnisme, enclosing pure bright colour in hard, black outlines. This resonated with an interest in folk art and in the fashion for Japanese curios and woodcut prints which had begun to flood Europe after trade re-opened with Japan in the middle of the nineteenth century. Through Bernard, Gauguin also began to extend an interest in medieval art.
All these interests accentuated a departure from conventional three-dimensional perspective and a concentration on flatter planes where less modulated colour filled clearly outlined shapes. Although Gauguin is best known for the work he later completed in Tahiti, the foundations for his particular style and pre-occupation with colour and shape were laid down during his sojourn in Brittany between 1886–1890.
