Both Gauguin and Matisse had visited Tahiti and had explored the artwork that they found therein their artwork when they had returned back to Europe. At the same time, Matisse disavowed the fact that Gauguin’s work had influenced his decision to visit the island and experience the exotic world that existed there.
Gauguin had decided to explore the islands in an attempt to regain the lost ideal of a paradise that many Europeans believed could be found on an island halfway around the world.
Unfortunately, due to the colonization of the island, the myth was shattered soon after his arrival to the island, so he searched harder for the origins of the myth. While the colonization of the island had changed the culture and the lifestyle of the island, it still drew many writers and artists to it.