Learn all about the master artist with these Paul Gauguin art projects for kids! Explore Symbolism, Expressionism, Fauvism and more!

Art requires philosophy, just as philosophy requires art. ~ Paul Gauguin

Few people would consider a financial crisis as a good thing, but for some individuals, it can be just that! That’s how it was for a Frenchman named Paul Gauguin, who had a successful career as a stockbroker, only to lose his job during the Paris stock market crash of 1882. That crash got him to get into his hobby, painting, full time, and the world got a world-class artist who created landscapes like the one below!

Paul Gauguin was born in France, but if you look at his work, you’ll realize his true love was another place – Tahiti. Gaugin was enamored by the colors and culture of the French Polynesian island, and he replicated those bold colors and shapes in his paintings.

Although Gauguin started out with Impressionism, he soon tired of it and moved towards other styles like Cloisonnism, and Synthetism, but eventually he came to be known as one of the masters of Post-Impressionism, like Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh and Georges Seurat.

Paul Gauguin was born on 7th June 1848 and died on 8th May 1903. Since we are in the vicinity of these dates, we think this is an appropriate time to learn more about the artist and his work, with these Paul Gauguin art projects for kids.

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10 Paul Gauguin Art Projects for Kids

1. Mixed Media Paul Gauguin-Inspired Palm Trees

Although Gauguin started with Impressionism, he felt that it was too repetitive and lacked any depth. This is what attracted him to Asian and African cultures, which he believed still maintained their unique flavor and culture. He thought about it and finally decided to move to Tahiti in April 1891. Some of his best works were produced while he lived there, and Painted Paper Art tries to recreate that Tahitian flavor in this project.

2. Paul Gauguin Acrylic Painting Tutorial

When he landed in Tahiti, poor Gauguin was disappointed – he found that large parts of the island had been urbanized, and looked a lot like the European cities he had left behind. He eventually found a yet untouched spot in a rural area and made a home there. Let’s create a landscape of this rural village with an art lesson from Rainbow Parrot Art.

3. Oil Pastel Tahitian Landscape

Art is Basic has an addition for our list of Paul Gauguin art projects for kids based on one of Gauguin’s most famous paintings – Tahitian Landscape from 1891. It’s a painting with bold colors and vibrant shapes that reflect the landscape but is still not completely realistic, which is typical of Gauguin’s style.

4. Tahitian Tiki Masks Craft

If you thought these Paul Gauguin art projects for kids were going to be all about landscapes and scenery, here’s Cassie Stephens proving you wrong with a Tiki mask craft! Gaugin was quite annoyed with the way the French were removing traces of Tahitian culture from their cities. So when he made a home in Tahiti, he decorated it with cultural elements like sculptures and masks.

5. The Yellow House

This book by Susan Goldman Rubin and Jos. A. Smith gives us an insight into the relationship between Paul Gauguin and fellow Post-Impressionist, Vincent van Gogh. Gauguin was friends with Vincent van Gogh and his brother Theo, who introduced Gauguin’s work to rich clients. Van Gogh also invited Gauguin to his yellow house in the South of France so that they could work together. The two artists often disagreed, since their painting philosophies were quite different.

6. Paul Gauguin Watercolor Landscape

Paul Gauguin had relationships with many famous European artists, and his first friend in the art world was Camille Pissarro. Pissarro became a mentor for young Gauguin, teaching him everything he knew as an Impressionist artist and introducing him to exhibitions. It’s always nice to have someone teach you the finer aspects of art, and Susie of All Traders makes an attempt here with this tutorial!

7. Complementary Colours with Paul Gauguin

Adelle shows us how to explore complementary colors in art, inspired by the way Paul Gauguin did in his work. In particular, the work he did during his friendship with van Gogh has influences of the Dutch artist, with more acidic hues and the appearance of broken colors.

8. Paul Gauguin Tiki Masks

Painted Paper Art brings us another fun project that features Tiki masks. In Polynesian or Māori mythology, Tiki represents the first man on Earth. Tikis are often shown in the form of statues or masks, and are believed to be representations of specific spirits.

9. Gauguin’s Loulou Art Tutorial

If you were looking for a portrait in this list of Paul Gauguin art projects for kids, you’ll enjoy this one from Practical Pages! This project features Gauguin’s 1890 painting, Mr. Loulou. The boy in this painting is Louis Le Ray, the son of one of Gaugin’s friends. The painting is a unique mix of colors, which are in sharp contrast to the boy’s blue garment.

10. Paul Gauguin Coloring Page

Just Color has a printable coloring page that features one of Gauguin’s 1894 oil on canvas paintings, ‘Breton Peasant Women’. During that time, Gauguin was living in a rural area in Brittany, northwestern France. He was enchanted by the daily life of the rural folk, their customs, their routines and their clothes, which he captured in his work.

These Paul Gauguin art projects for kids should give you an insight, not only into the artist’s life and philosophy, but also into Tahitian culture and how we get drawn towards things that are authentic and original. It also shows us that art doesn’t really have to fit into a box or be a certain way; you can follow your heart and create your own artistic style!

If you’d like to explore more art projects inspired by other French artists, here you go: