I'm so happy you like my collage, @quantumg. That means a lot. Although, I did have fun putting this collage together. My favorite part was having the bird eat.
Gauguin was obsessed with art, wasn't he? There didn't seem to be much else in his life that had importance. In the end it seemed to consume him (art and sex). Without that obsession, we would all be missing so much (his art work). And yet, I have to ask, from an individual perspective, was it worth it?
Just a little philosophical meandering. I peaked at your collage but didn't get a chance to visit yet. That is where go right now.
I agree, judging by his biography, one could imply that art had probably played the main role in his life, even if his life did not necessarily begin with art.
All his travels and the acquaintances that fate brought him also allow the assumption that he was always in search of expression. So something else was probably important to him - his own inner self.
His paths probably did not lead him to the great minds of the art of that time for nothing. He seemed to be literally seeking the company with the creatives. For example, when he voluntarily joined an artists' colony. While most artists seek inspiration in uninfluenced climes, Gauguin in the first years sought just the opposite. It is demonstrable that his style was strongly influenced by those personalities he met along this ways. Charles Laval, Émile Bernard, etc.
The gift of self-inspiration seemed to be given to him. But his ability to express himself may not have been enough for him and this ability has obviously increased over the time, like water that slowly becomes clearer. But whether that was enough for him in the end?
I guess only he himself could answer whether it was worth it. But the way he went looks very exciting to me. Not necessarily reducible to art and sex. He saw so much more than I will ever see. Enviable! It definitely would have been worth it to me. xD