Te Arii Vahine (The King's Wife) by Paul Gauguin

Among other European fantasies, he shared that Tahiti was kind of a Garden of Eden, regarded as a tropical paradise. In the French cultural imagination of colonised lands like Tahiti, there was a certain element of eroticism. They regarded the island's women, tropical charms and its resources to be readily available. Paul Gauguin and his relationship to Tahiti was described to be complex. However, he strived to represent the richness, rituals and local culture that the island had to offer in his work. He also perpetuated the stereotypes and myths related to the Tahitian culture through the invention or transformation of reliable versions of these activities. Gauguin did this to show how he thought primitive culture looks like.

The image in the king's wife artwork epitomises Paul's erotic fantasy of the island. The naked and young Tahitian woman appears to be part of the fertile landscape, which the artist painted to be beautifully seductive as a central image on a grassy hill besides many brightly colored ripe mangoes. A white cloth covers the beautiful young woman's groin while she holds a big round fan just behind her head. Talking of her skin color, the background in which she is drawn on and her mask-like facial features indicates that the young woman is a native. Moreover, her pose is iconic as it's a tribute to the European tradition that involves painting reclining nymphs, Venuses and odalisques, which date back to the 16th century. Through this artwork, Gauguin brings together all those familiar erotic situations by feeling his canvas with tropical and exotic imagery.

Paul Gaugin's artistic career was shaped by so many artists. However, a huge portion of his inspiration came from his guardian, Gustave Arosa who had various art collections by some experienced artists such as Camille Corot, Jean-Francois Millet and Eugene Delacroix. Paul Gaugin was intrigued by these artists and as a result, he began painting. Additionally, most of his paintings are influenced by art purchases from artists such as Pissarro and Monet. Gaugin has also influenced other very influential artists such as Arthur Frank, Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse among others. Until today, the art industry still feels his influence.