Herman Gouwe (1875-1965)
Vegetation on Tahiti
Oil on canvas on panel
27.5 x 37.5 cm
Frame: 32,5 x 42, cm
Signed lower left 'A.H. Gouwe' and dated '1927' (?) 

Provenance:
Private collection, Limburg

Condition:
In very good condition

Extra Information:
Adriaan Herman Gouwe (1875-1965), born in Alkmaar, left his successful career in the Netherlands behind in 1927. During a stay in the south of France, he read an article about Tahiti and decided to move there. He arrived in Papeete, the capital of Tahiti, on December 14, 1927, where he would live and work until his death in 1965.Gouwe's Tahitian period marked an important transformation in his work. 

Freed from the constraints of the European art world, he found the peace and creative freedom he sought on Tahiti. He developed a bright, colorful, and expressive style, further refining his earlier luminist palette. The local population and lush landscapes became his main subjects, resulting in unique works that captured the simplicity and exotic beauty of the island. This early impressionistic painting is an excellent example of his work from this period.

In 1959, Gouwe briefly returned to the Netherlands for exhibitions in Maastricht and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, where his Tahitian works were enthusiastically received. After a few months, he returned to Tahiti, where he passed away in 1965. Gouwe's choice of isolation on Tahiti, far from the European art centers, gave his work a special place in art history, characterized by a unique synthesis of tropical themes through a Dutch lens.