BOOK: PaulGauguin-Ramblings of a Wannabe Painter, David Zwirner Books

“Criticism is our censorship . . .” So begins “Ramblings of a Wannabe Painter”, one of the greatest invectives against criticism ever written by an artist. Paul Gauguin wrote “Racontars de rapin” only months before he died in 1903, but the essay remained unpublished until 1951. Through discussions of numerous artists, both his contemporaries and predecessors, Gauguin unpacks what he viewed as the mistakes and misjudgments behind much of art criticism, revealing not only how wrong critics’ interpretations have been, but also what it would mean to approach art properly—to really look. Paul Gauguin writes like he paints, its very beautiful and lively he obviously cares a lot about what he has to say. its bold and he doesnt care about what people he doesnt care about will have to say. but this is definitely to a fault, he is a narcissist and too sucked into his own world of painting, but i guess that is just him being a product of his time? Long out of print, this new translation by Donatien Grau includes an introduction that situates the essay within Gauguin’s written oeuvre, as well as explanatory notes. This text sheds light on Gauguin’s conception of art, widely considered a predecessor to Duchamp, and engages with many issues still relevant today: history, novelty, criticism, and the market. His voice feels as fresh, lively, sharp in English now as it did in French over one hundred years ago. Through Gauguin’s final piece of writing, we see the artist in the full throes of passion—for his work, for his art, for the art of others, and against anyone who would stand in his way.-Dimitris Lempesis