Paul Gauguin's Advice on Breaking Free from the Shackles of Public Opinion and Staying True to Your Creative Vision

The French Post-Impressionist Paul Gauguin left a profound mark on the history of art – he was a major inspiration to Picasso and Matisse, while Van Gogh considered him his closest kindred spirit. His path into the art world was a painful one: after his father's death, Gauguin began painting in the hope of transforming his grief into beauty, yet sorrow accompanied him throughout his life.

Perhaps this is why he was so empathetic to the suffering of other artists, especially those he saw as bold innovators, shaking up the status quo but paying a price for it.

Among such free spirits was the young French painter, poet, essayist and playwright Émile Bernard.

"Self-Portrait with Portrait of Paul Gauguin", Émile Bernard, 1888, Van Gogh Museum

In 1888, at the age of twenty, Bernard walked more than 500 kilometres from Paris to Pont-Aven to meet Gauguin – the guru of his artistic development. The painter, twenty years his senior, was soon captivated by Bernard's creative daring and innovative technique. A close friendship developed between the two, which later grew into rivalry, but their relationship forever changed the aesthetics of both artists' work, shaped the course of modern art, and sowed the seed of Symbolism.

In 1889, the 41-year-old Gauguin received a heart-wrenching letter from his young friend, who had come under fierce criticism for his paintings. The painter wrote back to the 21-year-old Bernard:

“Your sad letter has reached me. I understand the bitterness that comes over you when your work, and you yourself, are foolishly underrated... But which would you rather have? Mediocrity that pleases everyone, or talent that opens new horizons? If we have free will, we must choose. Would you want the power of choice, if that choice leads to suffering – like the shirt of Nessus, which clings and cannot be torn off? From those who lack the power to create and merely shrug their shoulders, one can expect nothing but an attack on originality.

I accept myself as shaped by events, by people, by family – but never by public opinion. That I despise, and I can live without admirers. I won't say I thought the same at your age, but through sheer force of will I have become what I am today. Let them study my latest paintings closely, and if they feel anything at all, they will understand how much humble suffering lies within them – a cry torn straight from the heart... But you, why do you suffer? You are young; it is still too early for you to take up this cross. Do not rebel; one day you will be glad you resisted the temptation to hate, for in the goodness of one who has suffered lies an enchanting poetry.”

We hope Paul Gauguin inspires you too!