Gauguin’s Hiva Oa :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Gauguins Hiva OaThe Tahitian island of Hiva Oa is the place where artist Paul Gauguin chose to live out the remaining years of his life. In The Moon and Sixpence, the narrator describes the place by saying, the bag of the island is unveiled as diminishing distance shows you in distincter shape its lovely peaksfor Tahiti is smiling and friendly (Maugham 160). This is an excellent description of the island, and it is little wonder that Gauguin nominate solace here. Hiva Oa is on the southern coast of Tahiti and is the most fertile and well known of the Marquisas group of islands, of which there are six. Even today, Hiva Oa retains much of the physical beauty that it did during Gauguins stay. Many of the roads are unpaved and the largest tikis in Polynesia are found right on the island. On the cliffs overlooking the village of Atuona is Cavalry cemetery where Gauguin is buried, along with another famous man, Belgian singer Jacques Brel, who also lived out his life in Hiva Oa. In the village is a museum dedicated to the artists life and works. Further to the east is Puamau Village, where many of Gauguins descendants still live, mostly in the native lifestyle. In The Moon and Sixpence the natives are set forth as being promiscuous, although the definition may have a different meaning to Westerners than it does to the natives. One of the narrators friends describes the artists wife as a good girl and shes only seventeen. Shes never been promiscuous like some of these girlsa captain or a kickoff mate, yes (Maugham 185). This may have been the norm at the cartridge clip, and one website describes the philosophy of natives today as parents allow young people to live an independent sexual life. puppylike people choose their partners themselves and they may sleep with anyone they wish to (Petya). Such an easygoing attitude may be hard for many people to understand, but Gauguin apparently fit in quite well. This general good nature is further seen in a general atti tude of goodwill toward all people and boilers suit generosity. The natives, especially in Gauguins time, were not so much concerned with money and material wealth as in living freely. Households at the timeand this can also be seen sometimes todayconsisted of a sleeping house and a cooking house, surrounded by an ua ma, or pit for storing fermented breadfruit could be found.