Fine Art Fetish Friday

You know how reality doesn’t always live up to your fantasies? The French artist Paul Gauguin learned that lesson the hard way when he moved from Paris to Tahiti in the late 19th century. Expecting a paradise of scantily clad women based on reports from early European visitors, he instead found a country that had been colonized by French missionaries—meaning the local women all wore conservative clothing and high necked dresses. Oops.

Gauguin didn’t let that affect his artwork, however. His Tahitian paintings depict his fantasies rather than the reality of his new home. Part lush and beautiful, part disturbing, they are unmistakable.