Why do artists travel? Gauguin's goal was to discover exotic and "primitive" cultures - but which ones, and what did he mean by the term "primitive"? Javanese dancers seen at the 1889 World's Fair, photographs of bare-breasted Tahitian women, a detail of Borubudor Temple relief, and novels by Pierre Lotti were both exotic and enticing to Gauguin. He thought about going to Tonkin and Madagascar, but he rejected them in favor of Brittany, Martinigue, Tahiti, and finally, his ultimate paradise, The Marquesas. Why? This slide lecture will explore Gauguin's search for exotic sites and how these locations shaped his art.
Dr. Caroline Boyle-Turner: Director, Pont-Aven School of Contemporary Art (Brittany, France) and Art History Faculty, Rhode Island School of Design. Dr. Boyle-Turner has a PhD from Columbia University and has written seven books on artists working in Pont-Aven with Gauguin. The school she directs brings artists top Gauguin's Brittany idyll to be inspired by the mystery and beauty that so attracted earlier artists, but to create contemporary art that also responds to contemporary issues. She lectures widely and also organizes exhibitions in the US, France, Tahiti and The Marquesas.
