Reconstructing the artist's painting techniques, Jirat-Wasiutynski and Newton demonstrate that Gauguin's technical choices were meaningful.

"An original study of Gauguin's writings, unfolding their central role in his artistic practice and negotiation of colonial identity. As a French artist who lived in Polynesia, Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) occupies a crucial position in histories of European primitivism. This is the first book devoted to his wide-ranging literary output, which included journalism, travel writing, art criticism, and essays on aesthetics, religion, and politics. It analyzes his original manuscripts, some of which are richly illustrated, reinstating them as an integral component of his art. The seemingly haphazard, collage-like structure of Gauguin's manuscripts enabled him to evoke the "primitive" culture that he celebrated, while rejecting the style of establishment critics. Gauguin's writing was also a strategy for articulating a position on the margins of both the colonial and the indigenous communities in Polynesia; he sought to protect Polynesian society from "civilization" but remained implicated in the imperialist culture that he denounced. This critical analysis of his writings significantly enriches our understanding of the complexities of artistic encounters in the French colonial context."--Publisher's description.

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"The evolution of this fascinating encounter between European and Polynesian culture also focuses on the larger development of art in the Pacific in the era following its first European contact. Twelve insightful and original essays about Paul Gauguin and Polynesia, written by eminent scholars in the field of art history and ethnology, present the development of Polynesian art before and after Gauguin's stay in Polynesia at the end of the 19th century. The book presents over 60 works by Paul Gauguin, fully revealing the extent of the influence of Polynesian art and culture on his work, while also highlighting more than 60 works from the Pacific that exemplify the dynamic exchanges of Pacific Island peoples with Europeans throughout the 19th century."--Publisher's website.