Noa Noa

Obviously affected by his experience with razor-wielding, absinthe fuelled flatmate, Vincent Van Gogh, and generally disillusioned by Paris's moral decay, Paul Gauguin fled France in 1894.

He arrived in Tahiti, an island of tropical warmth, impenetrable jungles and - most importantly for the artist- unspoiled, un-European, and extremely beautiful people. He luxuriated in this paradise for two years, producing some of his best paintings. But Gauguin left us another masterpiece that has languished in obscurity until now: his journal and the woodblock prints he made to accompany it.

In his Tahiti diary, Gauguin wrote affectionately about the majestic and earthy people he met (the Queen of the Maoris, who almost broke his bed; his first Tahitian mistress; and his thirteen-year-old Tahitian wife), about the island's stories and myths, the paintings he was working on, and the rich landscape that surrounded and inspired him.

In 1896, he abruptly returned to France, where his journal was declared too racy for publication. Ultimately, he published it himself but was unable to include his powerful woodblock illustrations, an artform that he had almost single-handedly resurrected from obscurity.

Combined with Gauguin's detailed and highly entertaining writing, they elevate Noa Noa to its rightful place among the masterworks of this extraordinary artist.

Posted: 01 November 2000
Revised: 14 June 2004