The era of modern art was significant in new features, experimenting, and new styles. It allowed artists to fully express themselves and what they felt. Like every human being, artists also have different opinions and methods of showing their world to us. Every artist uses unique lines, colors, and shapes, which represent what they want to say the best. Sometimes even the most simple painting has a hidden story from the artist's life. Keep reading, and you'll find six surprising stories of modern artists.

Paul Gauguin

Paul Gauguin was one of the most influential figures in French art. He was active in the early 1900s, and his work represented the Post-Impressionism art movement. When he was only two years old, his father decided to move the Gauguin's to Peru. (1850) Since then, Paul Gauguin has traveled to many places that impacted his life and art. Who knows? Maybe this start of his childhood in Peru made him want to see as many places as possible. Paul Gauguin loved escaping from french society and sought inspiration in exotic destinations.

Paul Gauguin, The Siesta, ca. 1892–94

One of his favorites was Tahiti. Although his wife and her family weren't big fans of his career choice, he promised them to become rich men when he left in 1891 as a 43-year-old. And it's safe to say that Gauguin fell in love with this place. After all, his most famous work represents the Tahitian culture. We can picture the colorful world of azure oceans and exotic faces through his art. No surprise Gauguin was enchanted, such as his story is enchanting to many others now.

Pablo Picasso

What kind of post about modern artists would this be if we didn't include probably the most famous painter of all time, Pablo Picasso. He was the first-born of a Spanish couple in Malaga, even though he later spent most of his life living in France. Since his father was also an artist, he was taught to express his feeling through art from a young age. And that's precisely what we can see in his paintings. When we look at his artwork from the blue period, for example, The Old Guitarist, we can see that there isn't much color, which evokes sadness or depression. He used exclusively blue color to express his sorrow from a loss of a friend to suicide. Other motives from this period are blindness or poverty.

Pablo Picasso, The Dream, 1932, private collection. Pinterest.

But as his life went on, he also experienced some beautiful moments, like falling in love. And he did that many times. But every time he devoted his heart to a woman, he made her the center of his world, meaning she was the center of his art. Just like we can see Fernande Olivier in the Head of a Woman or Eva Gouel in Woman with a guitar. Over the years, Picasso found his muse in women, but after his last wife Jacqueline Rogue died, he had lost his creative spark.

In his 92-year long life, Pablo Picasso had better and worse periods in his life, but he always managed to pour his emotions into his art. And we can be happy he did so.

Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo's life was never easy. She struggled mentally and physically, which we can see and feel through her art. But even though she couldn't see it then, it had made her stronger, making her now a feminist icon. Her journey with art began when in 1925. When she was 18 years old, she was in a bus accident in which she was impaled by a steel handrail. That resulted in numerous surgeries and a whole body cast for 3 months. During this time, her family encouraged her to paint and brought her the That's when she first expressed her struggles in a painting called A broken column.

Objects are on display alongside paintings, including Self-Portrait on the Border Between Mexico and the United States of America

(Credit: Modern Art International Foundation)

Her life then brought her in the way of a Mexican muralist, Diego Rivera, whom she was married to. As her marriage seemed idyllic at first, it turned into a nightmare for Frida because of her struggle to conceive a child. She portrayed her pain in a painting called Henry Ford Hospital. This particular work shows how she felt during her second miscarriage. Frida's and Rivera's relationship was also troubled by her husband's affairs, including one with her sister. The couple eventually split up several times, leaving Frida with all the emotions. No surprise, she turned to her lifetime love – art and painted The two Fridas. This work represents her loved and unloved versions.

Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh, also known as the tortured artist, was born in Holland in 1853, and even though his career was short, he had a vast impact on art. At first, he tried many different professions until he found his true passion for painting, and since then, he hasn't looked back. He painted almost 900 pieces that showed his problems with mental health. He was utterly captivated by the brushstroke and emotional colors that his finest works were produced within a three-year period. This makes him one of the most remarkable artists of all time.

Vincent van Gogh - Irises (1889)

Even though he fought a lot of battles with his own head – which resulted in the cutting of his won ear- his most famous work, The starry night, represented the last hope he had. He painted the town that sleeps during the day when he looked out the window in the asylum. This painting is full of emotions that Van Gogh couldn't express through words and help to understand what he had been going through at that time.

Gustav Klimt

A Viennese artist Gustav Klimt was born as second of seven children in 1862. But after a few years, there was only him, his mother, two sisters, and his brother's widow. The deaths of his family members affected him, but they did not affect his work. He stayed true to his women and cats. The sketches of these animals revealed his soul as a cat-lady, so he kept them a secret. But he didn't hide his love for women. There are many speculations on how many affairs he had because almost all of his works have a woman in the center.

Portrait of a Lady, by Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), 60x55 cm.

Photo by DEA / A. DAGLI ORTI. Image courtesy of Getty Images.

However, one woman inspired his work and provided the basis for his most famous portrait, Emilie Floge. She was the sister of his brother's widow, and it is known they had an intimate friendship, but they never got married. Klimt's unique style and combination of subtle colors didn't leave a significant impact on other creators as we would expect since he didn't travel much. But just like every artist, Klimt also needed a place to go on vacation and unwind to be able to bring more art into the world. And that particular spot was Lake Attersee, where he painted more than 45 landscapes. The sad thing is that he didn't paint one self-portrait, ever. But judging from his paintings, Klimt wasn't afraid to bring revolution into the world of art and society. Just take a look at The Friends, where he portrayed a lesbian couple.

All images via Google.

-End-