Aha Oe Feii?

Paul Gauguin's 'Aha Oe Feii?' (What, Are You Jealous?) from 1892, now housed in the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, is a quintessential example of his Tahitian period and his Post-Impressionist and Symbolist style. This work was created during his first extended stay in Tahiti, where he sought refuge from what he perceived as the 'sickly civilization' of Europe. Gauguin's art from this period, as seen in other works like 'Ia Orana Maria (Hail Mary)' and 'Tahitian Women Bathing,' is characterized by vivid, often non-naturalistic colors, flattened forms, and a deliberate primitivism that aimed to evoke a sense of an untouched, spiritual world. The painting likely explores themes of human emotion and relationships, drawing on his fascination with the local culture and his desire to represent a more essential, less corrupted existence. His experimental use of color and Synthetist approach, which prioritized emotional expression over objective reality, greatly influenced the avant-garde and modern artists who followed, including Picasso and Matisse.