10 Paul Gauguin Quotes on Life and Art

Paul Gauguin's life was full of unexpected twists – after all, the painter discovered his talent only later in life, left his wife and four children, then seduced the wife of his best friend, a fellow painter, left her too, and eventually moved to Tahiti to live and create. Although this hardly sounds like the most appealing personality, the artist's work has entered art history. By the way, did you know that Gauguin was a close friend of Vincent van Gogh? It was while waiting for Gauguin's visit that Van Gogh painted his famous sunflowers.

This time, we share some of Gauguin's most interesting thoughts on life and art.

1. We can only learn what folly is by trying it ourselves.

2. I shut my eyes in order to see.

3. The history of modern art is the history of art losing its audience. Art interests only the artist himself, while it merely puzzles the audience.

4. Colors, like sounds, are waves, and so they possess what is most universal and hardest to define in nature – an inner force.

5. In art, all those who did something differently from their predecessors earned the name of revolutionaries, and only they are the true masters.

6. I wanted everything in this painting to breathe: faith, silent suffering, a religious, primitive style, and the grandeur of nature.

7. Art is either plagiarism or revolution.

8. The demand for mediocrity is always greatest. In every generation, those with the biggest appetite are the ones with no taste.

9. Solitude is not for everyone. To endure it and act alone, you must be strong.

10. Life lasts but a moment. How little time we have to prepare for eternity!