Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements. He was born in Paris in 1848 and spent his childhood in Peru. After returning to France, he worked as a stockbroker before turning to painting full-time. Gauguin's art evolved from Impressionism to a more distinctive style characterized by bold use of color and symbolic subject matter. His work was influenced by his travels to Brittany, Martinique, and Tahiti, where he sought to escape Western civilization and depict native life and landscapes. Gauguin's later years in Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands were marked by health issues and financial struggles. His paintings from that period, characterized by vivid colors and Symbolist themes, would prove highly successful among the European viewers for their exploration of the relationships between people, nature, and the spiritual world. Gauguin's art became popular after his death, and he is well known for his relationship with Vincent and Theo van Gogh.