thick, flat forms. Under the influence of the tropical setting and culture of Polynesia, however, Gauguin's paintings became more powerful, while his subject-matter became more distinctive, the scale of his paintings larger, and his compositions more simplified. His subjects ranged from scenes of ordinary life, such as Tahitian Women, or On the Beach (1891, Muse d'Orsay, Paris), to brooding scenes of superstitious dread, such as Spirit of the Dead Watching (1892, Albright-Knox Art Gallery). His masterpiece was the monumental allegory Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? (1897, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston), which he painted shortly before his failed suicide attempt. A modest stipend from a Parisian art dealer sustained him until his death at Atuana Hiva-Oa, in the Marquesas Islands, on May 8, 1903.Gauguin's bold experiments in coloring led directly to Fauvism. His strong modeling influenced the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch and the later Expressionist school...
