- Published: January 13, 2022
- Updated: January 13, 2022
- University / College: The University of Manchester
- Level: Masters
- Language: English
- Downloads: 14
20-23 Gauguin and Utopia////Utopia and Dystopia
Assignment Artists such as Paul Gauguin had influences of ‘ Primitive past’ in their paintings as they had left the modern and advanced life of the reputed world and urban culture and moved to live natural and simpler life in Brittany or Tahiti. Gauguin became a ‘ primitive artist’ as he was capable of communicating through his paintings beyond culture. He made paintings which implied originality.
As per Gauguin’s own psychology, personal, social and political state is concerned, he preferred living a simpler life compared to the life he left behind in order to escape the European civilization. He desired for sexual freedom and spirituality through the search of the primitive. His paintings contained the elements of free love, gentle climate and nude nymphs as per his views for Tahiti.
Gauguin’s social life had an impact on his paintings as he often painted in the company of his painter friend, Van Gogh with the same subject as his. Therefore, there are some of Gauguin’s paintings which are indistinguishable to the painting style of Van Gogh and hit another friend Emile Bernard.
Assignment. 2
Utopia is a perfect society whereas, Dystopia is an imperfect one, in regards of society and government. In Dystopia, the systems or cultures are about governments that take away the freedom and liberty. Both the systems explore the social and political structures, and both are the literature genres, imaginary societies. Gauguin considered the life of Tahiti as the life of Utopia (Jessup 55).
The major difference in the Utopia and Dystopia is that both societies have a different outlook of the infrastructure such as in Utopia there would be clean buildings with nice style of architecture whereas, in a dystopian society the buildings would be tainted and degraded.
Another difference between the two is that in Utopia that the councils and groups work and promote for the betterment of society. On the other hand, in Dystopia, the society is oppressed, and all the events promote a feeling of doom.
Works Cited
Jessup, Lynda. Antimodernism and Artistic Experience: Policing the Boundaries of Modernity. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2001.
