In 2007 I did a series of oil painting parodies chronicling Gauguin’s life in the South Pacific Islands. Mine are the same size as the original works - give or take an inch.  I’ve kept to the composition and colors, but mine incorporate elements of 21st Century life that Gauguin would likely have found too intrusive.

Gauguin had fled Europe in 1890 in search of a more simple (sincere) way of life.  He chose to live on a remote island in the South Pacific to escape all the “modern” distractions.  His South Seas paintings, in which symbolism plays an important part, are among his most acclaimed.

It’s his use of symbolism that is the focus of my parodies, lampooning various aspects of the simple life Gauguin idealized.

It’s my way saying it’s now nearly impossible to escape from the modern world - even on Gauguin’s remote island paradise.
Double click images to enlarge.