Paul Gaugin spent his childhood in Lima, Peru, and grew up to become a sailor and then a stockbroker in Paris before, at 35, he threw it all over to become one of the most influential painters of his generation. This compact and densely illustrated album takes readers through his life and work in geographically-oriented stages, starting with a short biography, then continuing through "Brittany: In Search of a Style, (1886-1890)," Tahiti, briefly back to Paris, and then from 1895 until his death in 1903, "Return to Tahiti," where he put into practice his post-Impressionist theory--both prescient and influential--that the renewal of Western art must come from native cultures. With prints of his most important and interesting works.