Earthly Paradise

This unusual work, titled "Earthly Paradise," combines painting, sculpture, and carpentry, challenging traditional distinctions between fine art and decorative art. The wooden cabinet features painted and carved panels, with glass and metal accents. Look closely at the left panel, which was carved by Émile Bernard, a younger contemporary of Gauguin. Both artists incorporated animals, trees, and people from village life in Brittany, France, motifs they frequently used in their paintings. The figures on the right panel, however, reveal a different inspiration: Gauguin's trip to the Caribbean island of Martinique the previous year. This visit deeply influenced his artistic direction and foreshadowed his later decision to leave France for Tahiti.