Paul Gauguin's decision to move from France to Tahiti in 1891 involved complex familial, economic, philosphical, and artistic reasons; primary was Gauguin's desire for freedom from the material motivations and values of European life. He envisioned Tahiti as an innocent paradise, much as Rousseau conceived it, where man lived intimately with a benevolent nature and where an artists's work would flow freely. Indeed, Gauguin's first stay in Tahiti, from June 1891 to June 1893 was one of the most productive periods of his life. During this period or shortly after his return to Paris, he painted Two Nudes on a Tahitian Beach. He probably revised the painting at least twice, distilling the subject and simplifying the forms with bold expressive lines he had learned from Japanese prints and art nouveau.

Oil on canvas by Paul Gauguin. Poster size: 26"w x 36"h.