Sunday, May 13, 2012

Gauguin's World


 Image:1 Snapshot of a younger Paul Gauguin

 Image:2 Self Portrait in later years

 Image:3 The Meal aka The Bananas 1891 ( courtesy of Tess' Magpie)

 Image:4 Two Women on the Beach

 Image:5 A Road in Tahiti

Image:6 Tahitian Women Under the Palms
(Picture Credit: All from Google Images)


The South Seas Chronicler mused
Laid back basking in the sea breeze
Caressing his cheeks in mid morning
Without a care in the world
The surrounding greenery affording
The shelter needed to stimulate
his mind.  Reflecting he ventured
back. This was Gauguin’s world
Tahiti, blissful in all its goodness
Near enough to what Eve had left
Undisturbed. It would have been heavenly in the 1800’s
Fodder for the mind, guiding the hues
of colors painstakingly on canvas
He was not short of subjects, of scenic views
Of still life, of human kind, of models
The village belle, the voluptuous
The big fat Mama in colorful dress
And the youngsters waiting for their meals
His mind went viral and we’re all the richer
Masterpiece, after masterpiece
Of post-impressionist kinds
The production line at full speed

But wait up! What happened when
The colors dried up and the canvas were all used
He couldn’t possibly rush downtown
For his supplies. He couldn’t possibly mix
His own colors from local sources
Replenishment from ships were rare
How did he manage? I just wonder!

Written for Tess' Magpie Mag 117 and Real Toads OpenLinkMonday

34 comments:

  1. aside from the wonderful write, thank you for sharing those art pieces... cool post Pare!

    Pareng JJ

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  2. Never seen any of those art of highs and lows, as you weave your verse within here at your bin.

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  3. i can def see the influence in his colors...thanks for showing some of his other work as well...

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  4. I like how you admire the artist, then proceed to wonder about quite a practical question. Nice job Hank. I also enjoyed the paintings. Made me wish I was in Tahiti.

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  5. ah..glad that i stopped by...

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  6. If you want to do something badly enough, where there's a will, there's usually always a way. (To find his canvas and paints)
    Loved the use of more of his images too. I expect he did feel a bit as if it was close to Eden.
    Lovely write Hank!

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  7. lovely pictures.thank you for sharing them along with your poem.worthwhile visit indeed.

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  8. From the wondrous artist and his work to the wondering at the end..wonderful! Thanks for sharing some of the art, too. What a world he did paint. So many people's Shangri La.

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  9. Great one this, Hank. I've said it before, and I hope to say it often in the future: your best yet!

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  10. From the paintings i think he wouldnt have died of Boredom between shiploads of paint ! , good one Hank.

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  11. Maybe he turned in mind into the tapestry, planning out his next moves until he could finally take brush in hand again. Or maybe he went on vacation and simply enjoyed the breezes.

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  12. Beautifully done :)
    To think... he started life as a stockbroker :)

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  13. I hope he filled his pockets, and his palette, every time he got the chance... LOL

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  14. That's a good question! I'm glad he was able to create so many wonderful pieces before he ran out. Thanks for sharing some of them with us, Hank.

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  15. ...and now you have me wondering!

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  16. This made me appreciate his work..thanks for sharing his other paintings ~

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  17. Lovely - like a visit to the museum! You must have enjoyed this, musing about the painter. Losing yourself in the wondrous world of art, Sir Hank.

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  18. Beautiful paintings and a great learning moment for me. Your writing was as vibrant and full of life as the paintings were...loved it.

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  19. I love this artist. Thanks for this post.

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  20. Vibrant rich n earthy colours....kewl write

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  21. ..not a care in the world.

    His paintings do capture the languid days of Tahiti. And did you get the answer to your question? Did they make the paints out of plants on the island? I would love to know too.

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  22. When I look at the paintings he created I get completely lost amid the colors ~ the vivid rainbows of pure color! Thanks for the visual treat, word treat too.

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  23. i found the part "what happened when the colors dried up..." so sad, after everything else you said had so much life.

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  24. Insightful, thought provoking and colorful.....wonderful writing! :-)

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  25. I love your cut-and-dried descriptions of Gauguins subjects! Well done!

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  26. I guess we can thank the missionaries for some of the colours, at least of the clothes. Having been there and witnessed traditional ceremonies, where dress is traditional too. Most of the clothes are discarded!
    However, the poem does capture the feeling of the place so well!

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  27. Wonderful tribute to Gauguin, very well done! Thanks for finding those cool images too.

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  28. Love the cutting moment in this piece. We enter his world, look at his life and then, suddenly! a what? moment. Nice.

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  29. Thanks for guiding us through some more of his work, and I enjoyed your thoughts and observations here very much.

    =)

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