Gauguin

If you've studied art in any way, shape, form you probably know who Paul Gauguin is. Even if you don't think you have, if you've seen anything on Van Gogh or The Yellow House, you've probably come across his name as some point and merely looked it over. Basically, Gauguin is a big deal and his work is going to be shown at the Tate Modern this September. The French Post Impressionist is most famed for his jewel bright paintings,  said to be a depiction of how he saw the world rather than what it actually looked like. I'm going to assume most of the images shown will be landscapes, Tahiti or beautiful women but my favourites are definitely the brightest scenery ones, definitely the later images where you can tell he was influenced by other artists around him. He was also one of the artists who knew exactly how to document himself and his life to carry on his legacy. Don't underestimate the number of artists who did this just for their own ego, or how early on it started. We'd never have known in such depth about the history of art if it wasn't for such men. Apparently in the journals he kept (you can buy them) he deserted his wife and children for poverty and painting somewhere foreign so I think maybe if you read about his life before viewing the images it would be one of those exhibitions where you see the  narrative of his life come through as you see each picture. Anyway, regardless of his life, or whether you're interested in the history of art at all (although I think impressionism is probably one of the most liked) the pictures are beautiful and I think (despite my hatred of the way the Tate Modern curates) it'll be a good show.