(b. 1848, Paris, d. 1903, Atuona, Hiva Oa, French Polynesia)
Gossip (Les Parau Parau)
1891
Oil on canvas, 62 x 92 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg
The first paintings Gauguin produced in Tahiti prove that he found what he was seeking. In this painting a group of local people can be seen, sitting in semicircle, resting and chatting. The vanity of words - the title in the native language means "words, words" - falls silent in the pacifying music of colour.
