No comments about Gauguin: 16 Art Stickers (Fine Art Stickers).

No comments about Gauguin and the Nabis: Prophets of Modernism.

4 comments about El Paraíso en la otra esquina.

1. Es increible como Vargas Llosa te lleva atraves del espacio y el tiempo saltando de parrafo en parrafo y el lector no se pierde nunca! Flora esta en Paris reunida con obreros y un instante despues (10 anhos antes) en Arequipa visitando a su tio Pio, Gauguin esta Tahiti, 50 anhos despues, y en la linea siguiente esta (otros 10 anhos antes)pintando con van Gogh en Arles, y lector ve pasar todo esto frente a si sin confundir una sola idea. El manejo de los tiempos es similar a Pulp Fiction, donde Tarantino te va ofreciendo escenas de la historia en desorden, pero nunca te pierdes.

   Adicionalmente, el tema de las historias, el humor, y lo crudo de algunas escenas (tipo el capitulo final de "La fiesta del Chivo") hacen que este libro asuste y encante. En este libro el capitulo final es tambien fenomenal.




2. This may be the crowning achievement of one of the foremost authors in the Spanish language. Alternating between the impressionist Gauguin and his maternal grandmother, Flora Tristan, the author traces the careers of these legendary 19th century figures. For Gauguin, the paradise was to be found in escaping the constraints of Euro-Christian civilization by fleeing further and further into the primative cultures of the South Seas. His grandmother too chaffed and strained under the constraints of French and Peruvian societies. The former would relegate her to the status of chattel to her husband, the latter offered her refuge as a virtual princess among her father's family who were as near to Peruvean royalty as was possible. Rejecting both, she chose instead to campaign for the liberation women, then the working classes through social political reform. Both characters died struggling, neither achieving the acceptance of their contemporaries; each sanguine in the choices s/he had made.

   The writing is brilliant, the story riveting. The work is clearly superior to "La Fiesta del Chivo" that the "New York Times" predicted would gain Vargas a Nobel Prize for Literature.




3. Este libro ha sido una gran desilusion. Es dificil relacionarse con los personajes y con sus ambiciones en la vida. Uno siente que nunca los llega a conocer ni a enteder de verdad. A consecuencia de eso, es muy dificil comprender sus actos. El libro carece de profundidad y entrelaza la narracion de las dos vidas (la de Flora y Gaugin) muy superfluamente. Es monotono y sin impacto. EL lector espera que el libro cobre impacto, pero ese momento nunca llega. Me fue muy dificil encontrar la disciplina para terminarlo. Vargas Llosa es uno de los mejores escritores de nuestros tiempos, y despues de haber leido la gran mayoria de sus obras, este libro ha sido una gran desilusion.



4. No debe ser fácil ser Vargas Llosa, mal acostumbrando a sus lectores a escribir excelentes novelas, de esas que cada vez que las cerramos nos decimos: "He aquí al mejor escritor de nuestra era"; no, no debe ser fácil porque cuando escribe un libro tedioso como El Paraíso en la otra esquina, la desilución del libro que pudo haber sido y no fue es demasiado grande, quizás porque las expectativas de sus lectores así lo son.
   El Paraíso en la otra esquina trata dos historias alternas: la de Paul Gauguin, el pintor que renunció a una cómoda vida burguesa europea para irse a pintar nativas al Pacífico, y la de su abuela Floria Tristán, incorruptible mujer de grandes ideales. Sólo de leer la contraportada se nos hace agua la boca, qué puede fallar en una novela con unos personajes tan apasionantes en la pluma del autor de La Fiesta del Chivo y Lituma en los Andes, para no irnos más atrás a sus obras maestras de juventud; cómo no devorar palabra por palabra lo que debería ser un festín literario... y nos encontramos con una obra plana, repetitiva, tediosa y desigual. Después de dos capítulos la historia de Flora Tristán daba la vuelta sobre sí misma, nos dejaron de importar sus andanzas, queríamos que terminará de una vez para saber sobre su nieto y sus llagas, sus correrías tras las niñas nativas, su orgía con los colores del Pacífico; pero ni siquiera la vida del rebelde Gauguin nos logra apasionar. Para mi esta novela es mucha información, muchos datos, pero poco corazón.

No comments about Artists and Prints: Masterworks from the Collection of The Museum of Modern Art.

No comments about Paul Gaugin: A Journey to Tahiti (Adventures in Art).

5 comments about Noa Noa.

1. This is a lovely book... and, brief though it is, helped me to understand more about Gauguin's reasons behind his actions. I read it at a perfect time - when the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY was holding one of their most important exhibits on Gauguin and featured his wood cuts. It's a colourful, passionate and painful journey.



2. This was very interesting reading just before going to the South Seas. Wonderful to see the islands as he saw them and described them in this journal. Well worth reading!



3. This is a jewel of an art book by one of the greatest painters of the late 1800's and early 1900's. Originally considered too racy to publish in France, this 2005 English edition of the banned 1894 illustrated personal journal is probably how Paul Gauguin would have liked to have seen his text and art work combined for publication. The color and layout do justice to his artistic creations. The only change the artist might have still wished for was to have the book's format slightly larger since some of his woodcuts and the original journal itself are slightly larger than this reproduction of the work.
   The book has a short 1962 introduction by W. Somerset Maugham that is somewhat amusing in that it tells how Maugham traveled to Tahiti to research Gauguin for a book he was considering writing about the island's most famous painter. He found one of the actual huts where Gauguin had lived and worked and purchased one of the glass panels that Gauguin had painted for one of the hut's three doors. The children living in the hut had passed the time scratching the windows clean and already destroyed the other two door paintings. Maugham bought the half door containing the one surviving glass panel with its painting of "Eve, nude, with the apple in her hand" still intact for four hundred francs and had it shipped back to his home in New York. It was in his writing room at the time he wrote the introduction for this volume.
   Relating the antidote of Maugham's good luck and prowess at art collecting was the only subject covered in the introduction. But it did illustrate how little remained in Tahiti of Gauguin's stay in the Island Paradise. There was even less left there after the famous writer's research visit.
   Gauguin's text is much more interesting. He tries to capture some of the purity of the native culture that was being quickly destroyed by the European invasion. I particularly liked the stories of one of his treks into the land of the Gods near the center of the island as well as his story of taking a local wife (concubine) from among the natives. After the deal was made with the 13-year-old girl's parents and stepparents, she accompanied her new mate home. After eight days the woman was required to return to her home and if she had decided she didn't like the match, she never returned to him. That's how divorce was handled in Gauguin's Paradise.
   Gauguin attempted to explain the secret and mysterious history, legends and religious beliefs of the natives. His paintings and wood block prints helped him with this documentation. Why he suddenly left his idyllic life in paradise after only a two year stay to return to France in 1896 isn't explained in his journal. He only describes the pain it caused him and his beautiful native mate who he never saw again.
   This is a must read for any fan of Paul Gauguin's artwork. Unfortunately, it only answers a few of the many unanswered questions about the great painter's life. And new questions are brought up and then abandoned. Personally, I would love to have read more about the former cannibals he met while living in his South Seas Paradise. Too often Gauguin only touched on some really fascinating fact and then left the reader dangling and desperate to know more. It's still a beautifully illustrated must read!



4. I picked it up for a school project and it was fantastic. It's just a nice little journal, I feel there is more but I don't know for sure, this may be all there is in the tahiti journal of Paul Gauguin. The pictures are great, the translation is very well done. Excellent read.



5. Having just traveled to the Society Islands I wanted more info on Paul Gaugin. This translation of his journal provided insight I would not have gotten otherwise. Combined with other biographies it rounded out the picture. Recommend it if you are interested in either the South Pacific Islands or Gaugin and his art.

1 comments about THE MOON AND SIXPENCE.

1. The picture on Amazon of THe Moon and Sixpence is not the book that was delivered!!! The picture is DECEIVING...Moon and Sixpence was delivered
   
   
   
   but it was not the one with the cover jacket presented on the website!!!
   I'm very unhappy about this. I know the book. I used to own it.

No comments about The Lure of the Exotic: Gauguin in New York Collections.

4 comments about The Yellow House: Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin Side by Side.

1. What a wonderful way to teach children about art! And, not only are young readers introduced to two of the most colorful and compelling artists, but they also garner lessons in learning from one another and getting along with others.

   Published in association with the Art Institute of Chicago this keepsake volume includes fine quality reproductions of paintings by van Gogh and Gauguin, as well as a brief but instructive biography of each painter.

   During the autumn of 1888 these two mercurial artists shared a home in the south of France. Lonely and wanting the company of other painters van Gogh invited Gauguin to share his home in Arles. For some two months the men worked in close proximity to one another.

   Disagree? Of course, they.did. In addition to technique and style they probably argued about a number of things. One thing they did agree on was that they could learn from each other.

   Regrettably at that time van Gogh was on the brink of his nervous breakdown, and when that occurred Gauguin fled to Paris.

   Yet, in many ways their time together was productive and memorable for both artists. "The Yellow House" will surely live in the minds of many young readers!




2. The Yellow House: Vincent van Gogh & Paul Gauguin Side By Side is a children's color picturebook about the how two legendary artists, Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, lived together in a Yellow House the south of France in 1888, and shared ideas about their painting. Yet they set about their artwork in very different ways; for example, Vincent painted what he saw while Paul painted from his memory and imagination. The Yellow House is not only an enjoyable story, but also an excellent introduction to the world of art for young readers. The vibrant color artwork strives to emulate a spark of the creative genius that van Gogh and Gauguin themselves poured into their life's work. The last two pages of The Yellow House consist of short biographies of the famous artists. An ideal gift book selection, The Yellow House is highly recommended gift book for inquisitive and artistic young minds.



3. During the fall of 1888, Vincent Van Gogh invited Paul Gauguin to come live and paint with him in the Yellow House in the south of France. "...he missed the company of other people, especially artists who could discuss painting. He hoped that warm, sunny Arles would attract fellow painters to join him. Together they would form a kind of family of artists, a Studio of the South." Van Gogh and Gauguin were very different in both temperment and style. Van Gogh worked quickly, painting "exactly what he saw with his own eyes", and often completed a painting in just one sitting. He "liked to load his brush with lots of paint and put it on the canvas in dots and dashes... Thick swirls of strong colors expressed his feelings-his love of nature, his joy in painting." Gauguin worked very differently. He painted more slowly, blending his paints on a palette, and spreading the colors "smoothly in careful shapes." He "painted pictures from his imagination-feelings, fantasies, and dreams." Together they worked side by side for two months, discussing art and techniques, and learning much from each other. And even after Gauguin left Arles, they continued to encourage each other through their letters..... Based on actual events, Susan Goldman Rubin has written an elegant and compelling story about the relationship between these two great artists. Her eloquent text is straightforward and informative. But it's Jos. A. Smith's artwork that really makes this book stand out. His evocative illustrations dazzle as they compare and contrast Van Gogh's and Gauguin's styles, techniques, and use of color, and include reproductions of some of the paintings created during that two month period. With biographies at the end to fill in details about both painter's lives and work, The Yellow House is an engaging, fact filled introduction, rich in history and drama, that is sure to intrigue young art lovers 5-10, and send them out looking for more



4. This is a picture book format story for children aged 4-8, about the time period when Paul Gaugin lived with Vincent van Gogh in Arles, France. Bright and lovely illustrations by Jos. A. Smith and reproductions of van Gogh and Gaugin's works comprise the illustrations. There is not much coverage of the impressionists in general. If this is read as a first exposure to van Gogh, Gaugin, or impressionism, the child will be confused or not understanding. I feel this is a great accompaniment after the child knows something about the Impressionist movement, van Gogh, and Gaugin. The bright and lively illustrations really make this a special book.

   The story covers the time when van Gogh invited Gaugin to visit through their visit and then ending with a description of their pen pal relationship after Gaugin left Arles. The story explains the different painting methods they used, even when painting the same subject at the same time. The author explains their use of their favorite colors for backgrounds is shown and how van Gogh preferred to paint exactly what he saw while Gaugin preferred to paint from his imagination or from the content of his dreams.

   Their explosive relationship is discussed, including a fight that culminated in van Gogh cutting off part of his ear, which was the last straw for Gaugin, resulting in Gaugin's departure. Depending on the sensitivity of the child, learning of this event this could be disturbing. At the back of the book is a one-page biography of each artist. I am not sure if this part was intended to be read to the child; within the van Gogh bio, it is explained that van Gogh suffered from strange moods since boyhood, then goes on to say that after the ear-cutting episode the townspeople "demanded he be locked up in a mental hospital" and goes on to say he did end up in a mental asylum. Whether you want to read this to your young child is up to you. I take issue with the idea of telling young children that townspeople can call for someone to be locked up and then knowing it came to fruition! There is also the question of how much information you want your young child to know, or how much can they understand, about depression, mental illness and the mental asylums of the 1800s. I am not calling for censorship or shaming of depression or mental illnesses, but I have issues with as to the appropriate age to venture into a discussion of mental illness, depression and self-mutilation. Other van Gogh biographies for children aged 4-8 have not included information about the ear-cutting or about the mental asylum visit, although adults seem to always be interested in this part of van Gogh's life.

   If the book did not contain the ear-cutting incident in the main body of the story I'd rate this 5 stars; I'll rate it 4 stars due to the content potentially being disturbing for children aged 4-8 which the publisher states this is appropriate for.

2 comments about Smoking Mirror: An Encounter with Paul Gauguin (Art Encounters).

1. This book is soooo cool! about a guy who gets revenge for his best friend's death at the hands of pirates. paul gaggin is in it too. he was a famous artist. he painted lots of pictures and had sex with lots of hot Tahitian girls! then he died of siphilis!



2. This is such a masterfully written book. Even apart from the fact that it is based on historical events (interesting enough!), I thought the story worked so well as just a damn good story. If you have any interest at all in Paul Gauguin (or even if you don't!), I highly recommend this book.