Leda (Cover)

1870s–1891 · Virkested

Paris

October – December 1888

Nine Weeks with Van Gogh in Arles

In 1888, at Theo's insistence, Gauguin worked for nine weeks with Vincent van Gogh in his Yellow House in Arles. Their relationship deteriorated: on the evening of 23 December 1888, according to Gauguin's later account, Vincent came at him with a razor and then cut off his own ear; Gauguin left Arles, and they never saw each other again.

1 April 1891

Departure for Tahiti

On 1 April 1891, after a final visit to his wife and children in Copenhagen, Gauguin sailed for Tahiti, intending to escape European civilization and "everything that is artificial and conventional." He spent his first three months in Papeete, then set up a studio in a bamboo hut at Mataiea.

28 June 1895

Final Departure for Oceania

On 28 June 1895 Gauguin sailed once more for Tahiti — Eugène Carrière arranged cheap passage for him — arriving in September; he never saw Europe again. He spent the next six years mostly near Papeete, building a spacious house at Punaauia.

c. 1898

Suicide Attempt

After finishing Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?, Gauguin attempted suicide by taking arsenic, but the dose proved too large, and a violent fit of vomiting saved his life.

16 September 1901

Move to Hiva Oa, the House of Pleasure

On 16 September 1901 Gauguin arrived at Atuona on the island of Hiva Oa (Marquesas Islands), where he bought a plot from the Catholic mission and built a two-story house he named the Maison du Jouir ("House of Pleasure"). Here, despite illness and poverty, he worked at full strength — painting landscapes, writing stories, and engaging in journalism.