Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin, better known simply as Paul Gauguin, is one of the premiere French post-Impressionist era artists. Gauguin's work held great influence on the French avant-garde and many modern artists, such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. Toward the end of his life, Gauguin spent ten years in French Polynesia. The majority of his paintings from this time capture the people and landscapes from the region. The original painting was created in 1902, the year before Gauguin's death.