La Belle Angèle (The Beautiful Angela), from 1889 by Paul Gauguin is a colourful portrait of Angélique Marie Satre, a well-known innkeeper from the village of Pont-Aven in Brittany. The painting currently hangs at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. Gauguin chose a distinctive style: clean lines, flat shapes and vibrant colours, inspired by Japanese art that was very popular at the time. The result is a portrait that shows not only the woman herself, but also something of the painter's innovative and idiosyncratic way of working.
Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) was a French artist who became truly famous only after his death. During his lifetime, he constantly tried to find new ways, away from the impressionism that was fashionable at the time. He used colour and form to emphasise feeling and symbolism rather than realistic representation. After a time in Brittany, he left for French Polynesia, where he produced paintings full of tropical atmospheres and intense colours. Today, Gauguin is considered one of the great innovators of modern art.
