A beautifully written account of Paul Gauguin's life with all its heartaches, joys, disappointments and fleeting moments of pure happiness in Tahiti and the Marquesas. It is a highly emotional account of his struggle with his estranged wife and children, his drinking, his complicated personal and sexual life and relationships and finally his delight at the simple life of the Polynesian people, who he supported and suffered for it and how their language and culture was systematically suppressed.
Picked this up at the book fair, more for the title more than anything else. It was tucked away in a corner of Deen's, among his 'rare books' selection.
"The gold of their bodies" is about the life of French artist Gauguin, a pioneer of sorts. Through most of his life, his work was misunderstood. Gauguin was a post-Impressionist painter, and most of the artistic community found Gauguin's work, with its bold colour and later on, his depiction of life in the South Pacific Islands as crude, disturbing or worse, amusing. Nevertheless, Gauguin persevered. Using bold colour and the force of his own personality, he pushed out painting after painting.
Gauguin was unashamedly sensual (the book cover proclaims Gauguin a "painter, lover, adventurer" in that order). He moves from muse to muse with rapidity, through it all professing a constant love for his wife, Mette, who spurns him as he cannot support her and his children.
While he is at times stricken with guilt for his Bacchanalian excess, he is driven by his self-belief - in that his work is worthy, important and will someday be recognised. And his prophecy came true - in 2015 one of his works was sold for 300 million dollars. However he was fated never to see his work become more than modestly recognised, surviving from exhibition to exhibition and often having to beg and borrow in order to get by.
It is interesting to see the little asterisks next to the descriptions of his paintings, detailing the museums that they are now exhibited in. Also interesting was Gauguin's encounters with other artists of his time - artists like Van Gogh and Pissarro.
The Gold of their Bodies reminded me strongly of one of my favourite books, "A Moveable Feast" by Hemingway. If you like stories of starving artists, then you'll definitely like this book.
鈥淭he Gold of their Bodies: a novel about Gauguin鈥� by Charles Gorham is exactly as titled, a biographical recreation of the adult life of the artist. It is well written with a great sense of verisimilitude which is both appealing as being true to fact, but also, since those facts are well known, leaving the reader with little surprise as to the basic plot. That being said, the novel is rich with imaginative detail and incident, very illuminating to fill out the basic story of life of Gauguin. It鈥檚 a very sympathetic account, and I鈥檓 not sure whether in reality the man was quite as described, but it certainly, pardon the pun, a compelling picture of the artist. Now out of print, I believe, the book is well worth reading if can find a copy and have any interest in the great impressionist era painters.
If you have ever wondered what it may be like to devote your life to art, 鈥樷€橳he Gold Of Their Bodies鈥� is a must read. Very reader friendly and very well researched by Charles Gorham, the book is based on the fascinating life of Paul Gauguin 鈥� the former sailor and stockbroker who gave up a secure and well paid job to paint full time.
The sacrifices which such a decision involved are apparent time and again in this riveting novel- clearly the outcome of the author鈥檚 very detailed study of the artist鈥檚 life, character and personal qualities, which he brings dramatically to life in a realistic and compelling narrative.
Gauguin鈥檚 days as a comfortably off stockbroker are contrasted with his last days in the Marquesas Islands, during which he lived on a bowl of rice for days on end. His relocation to Tahiti entailed the loss of the family he loved, as his wife refused to go with him to the South Seas. His separation from his native France involved lengthy delays in securing payment for his pictures and he was also frequently swindled by unscrupulous dealers. Gauguin鈥檚 art was ridiculed by the public and the artistic community, and his work only began to sell when he was nearly dead.
The tropics were not good for his health, which was also badly affected by his dissolute lifestyle following his separation from his Danish wife, whom he loved dearly. This negates the belief that Gauguin selfishly sacrificed his family for his art 鈥� he continued to plead with Mette to join him right up to his early death at t he age of 54.
Gauguin was a sensitive and passionate man with a single minded devotion to painting and sculpture. His concern for the native population, - who were ruthlessly exploited in both Tahiti and Marquesas by their French colonial masters 鈥� led to his ongoing persecution and harassment by government officials. When you look at Gauguin鈥檚 work today, it is hard to believe that he endured so much pain to create it. His life story is as timeless and inspiring as his art.
Interested in the life of Gaugin, then this is the book. Although written in novel form, it follows his life quite accurately. My copy was bought from a charity shop, hardback, musty and yellowing pages, all added to the enjoyment