Evening star., 1937-02-06

their attack. It was highly charac-
teristic victory, as historians before
now have pointed out.
But, however one interpretS this
books implications, one must admit
that as a narrative it is splendid. De-
pressing, gloomy. tragic-but absorb
ing to the last degree Of the readers
interest. One feels that the author
has perhaps done better than he knew.
He has undertaken to expose corrup-
ton under a particular political sys-
tenn. He has succeeded in drawing
picture Of nations character.
MY FATHER PAUL GAUGUIN. BY
Pola Gauguin. New York: Alfred
Knopf.
1T HAS for some time been a ques-
ton in the reviewers mind as to
why any one should feel that the
career of such man as Paul Gauguin
needed writing about, or, that is to say,
needed explaining or interpreting.
Gauguin's life is considerably palmer,
as he lived it, than a pikestaff. It is
as clear as shout, as a sunrise, as
mountain. Does it. then, need ex-
planning? Only to the dull, who will
not understand 1t anyway. Does it,
then, need Interpretation? If so, let
every man do his own. For that is
one of the beauties of such an exist
ence-it holds for every person pre-
cisely as much as he is capable Of
taking.
But, Of course, men and women
who have lived such lives are, with
quite unvarying regularity, execrated
by the contemporaries, and it Is nat
ural that in years to come champions
with excellent intentions should arise.
It also follows that romanticists should
seize upon the obvious outline of such
lives to spin common little dramas
about them. And it follows, too, that
the professional biographer should
turn to figures so unique for his neces-
sary material"
Thus there have already been sew
eral lives of Gauguin, and at least one
novel. The author of the present
book belongs to the first-named cate
CORY of biographers-he is the cham
pion of the artist. That he is also
Gauguins son makes his champion
ship more natural and less of an atti-
tude than is the usual condition among
members of regulations. A son Defend
ing a father has more immediate
claims on our belief than does the
professional writer who, years after
the great man has died in universal
scorn, rushes passionately in to correct
the Wrong-and win for himself a
reputation Consequently this book,
although by no means brilliant, can
be read with patience.
It is the story of Gauguin's life in
relation to his family and his art. AS
to the first count, it is admirably clear.
One understands, after perusal, that
the artist was no brute who, as has
been so generally believed, deserted
his wife and children" to lead life
of wallowing in the feshpots. On the
contrary. by publishing excerpts from
letters to and from Nine. Gauguin, he
makes clear that a sense Of obligation
lOl LILO 4dlAlily 3ioi oscS2 WIN ga eA'e w
his death, and that he looked forward
to success as a painter as means
(among several things, of course) of
providing for them. But he felt (why
should it have to be writtenO that.
before all else, he deserved the right to
express his genius, and he found 1t
impossible to do that in q household
atmosphere. What could be more OBJ
vious?
Yet the legend of Gauguin as a
heartless monster has been built up,
and no doubt there Is justice in any
attempt to throw it down again.
As to the present books interpreta-
ton Of Gauguin's art, that does not
come off so happily. Long passages
are devoted to it, but they are con-
fused and not very informative. This,
even as with Gauguin's domesticity,
hardly seems to deserve explaining,
however. His pictures remain. They
can be seen. Why write about them?
Gauguin himself despised literature,
but when he did set himself to write
he explained himself better than any
interpreter has done yet. II am a
great genius" he. said. What does
that leave lacking, since his work fur
nished abounding proof?
But the present book Is entirely un-
pretentious. It is a humble work