Artist Research

Paul Gauguin interpreted "knowing oneself" through the profound philosophical large oil painting, "Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?" created against the backdrop of Tahiti in 1897. Facing the pain of losing his daughter and enduring persistent illness, Gauguin, in a state of despair, found intense creative inspiration after a failed suicide attempt, leading to the completion of this artwork.

The entire composition presents a trilogy of human life from birth to death. On the right, there is a vibrant infant, on the left, an elderly person nearing the end of life. The person in the middle picking fruit symbolizes the joy of human existence. In the upper-left corner, a dark blue statue raises its hands, suggesting the inevitability of death and seemingly guiding towards the afterlife. Gauguin, in self-exile, marked by the imprint of modern civilization, pursued the paradise within his soul on a spiritual level, grappling with unfathomable confusion, sorrow, and anxiety. He encapsulated these complex emotions in symbolic artistic forms, providing a symbolic answer to the philosophical proposition of "knowing oneself," allowing the soul to find liberation and transcendence.

"Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?" is a reflection and questioning of life by the great artist Gauguin over a century ago. Using bold strokes, he illustrated his dreamlike "homeland." The baby in the painting signifies human birth, the act of picking fruit in the middle hints at Adam harvesting the fruit of wisdom, symbolizing human survival and development, followed by the depiction of an old person, representing the destiny of human life from birth to death, portraying the trilogy of life. Gauguin's painting style and form broke free from mental constraints, embracing mystical, primal, symbolic, and subjective painting concepts. Employing a symbolist style, he depicted lives filled with primal emotions, closely intertwining nature with fantasy, reality with symbolism.

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