Where We Come From, Who We Are, and Where We Are Going is a painting by French artist Paul Gauguin.
The title, which evokes a long and profound philosophical question, coupled with its massive mural-like size, makes it one of the most famous works Gauguin ever exhibited.
Life of the Painter Gauguin
From Stockbroker to Painter
Before becoming a painter, Gauguin worked for a bank as a stockbroker. He worked as a stockbroker for about 11 years and enjoyed a moderate level of success and income.
He also bought and sold paintings, and at some point in his life, he became interested in painting and began working steadily as an amateur painter in Paris.
There, he learned painting from impressionist Pissarro and others, and acquired solid painting skills.
Study for a Nude (Suzanne Knitting), 1880
A Journey to the South Island as a Painter
In 1882, however, the Paris stock market crashed.
As a result, Gauguin's income plummeted, and he began to focus mainly on his work as a painter.
At this time, he traveled to the Pont-Tavern region in northwestern France to meet with local painters. He also conducted a stay on the Caribbean island of Martinique, one of France's overseas departments.
Woman with Flowers, 1891.
With this experience in such a primitive overseas location, Gauguin's own paintings acquired a brightness and unique style. In order to escape from European civilization and "everything artificial and conventional," Gauguin traveled to the island of Tahiti in Polynesia in 1891.
His experience in Tahiti
Where We Come From was painted during his second stay in Tahiti, between 1897 and 1898.
Like his other works, which depict a highly original and stylized mythological world, this work is considered Gauguin's masterpiece and is said to be the work that best depicts his spiritual world.
Despite his reputation as a painter, many researchers have interpreted this work as Gauguin's projection of his own idealistic world after his fallen family life.
The Meaning of "Where Do We Come From?
A question he had been asking himself since he was a boy.
This work, which has a very long and meaningful title, has been described as "a philosophical work, like a gospel.
When Gauguin was between the ages of 11 and 16, he attended liturgical classes given by a Catholic priest at a church school located near Orleans.
There, he was taught the Catholic canons.
The key doctrines are taught in such a way that you have to ask questions incessantly. The three most important questions are,
Where did mankind come from?
Where is humanity going?
How will humanity progress?
The last years of his life were marked by his anti-Catholicism. Although in his later years he seems to have expressed anti-Catholic ideas, these profound philosophical questions ultimately remained important in Gauguin's life.
Suffering the Passions of Life
While working on "Where We Come From," Gauguin was struck by a series of major life-changing events.
Unaccustomed to his tropical surroundings, Gauguin suffered from dermatitis or eczema, syphilis, and conjunctivitis.
In addition, his financial situation was deteriorating rapidly, and he began to run up debts.
Furthermore, when his family in Copenhagen informed him of his daughter's death, Gauguin was devastated.
In the fall of 1897, after finishing "Where We Came From," Gauguin was struck by the death of his daughter. At the time, his family had moved to Copenhagen, and the death of his beloved daughter was a particular shock to Gauguin, who had been doing whatever he pleased without regard for his family.
The theme of life being born and life being lost is also expressed in this painting.
A Woman's Life Story Flowing from Right to Left
The painting, which is very wide, can be divided into three large groups, each symbolizing a theme related to the title.
On the right is "Where We Came From" - "The Beginning of Life."
The three crouching women and sleeping child seen on the right represent the beginning of life.
The group in the middle represents adulthood.
They are depicted in their daily lives, harvesting apples and gathering food.
This motif of the apple is reminiscent of Adam and Eve, who ate the forbidden fruit, the apple, in the Garden of Eden.
In other words, the original sin of mankind has taken shape in the most prominent woman in the center foreground.
The group on the left represents "old age," and depicts an old woman in a frowning, fleeing posture.
In the upper left corner of the painting, the original French version of the title " D'où Venons Nous / Que Sommes Nous / Où Allons Nous" is written.
History of "Where Do We Come From?
The curators of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where the work is currently housed in the state of Massachusetts, USA, continue to update the painting's ownership records, which means that the provenance is not yet complete.
The first record of the painting is confirmed in 1898, when Gauguin sent it to the French painter and art collector Georges-Daniel de Monfrachet.
It subsequently passed into the hands of several Parisian and European art dealers and collectors before being acquired by the Marie Harriman Gallery in New York in 1936.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston purchased the painting from the Marie Harriman Gallery on April 16, 1936.
The work was on view in the exhibition "From Cézanne to Picasso" at the Art Institute of Chicago from February 17 to May 12, 2007, and has been on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, as it has been ever since.
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