Paul Gauguin (June 7, 1848 – May 8, 1903) was a leading Post-Impressionist painter but also an influential exponent of wood engraving and woodcuts as art forms. He often considered his style of art as “savage,” inspired by foreign cultures such as Africa, Micronesia, and Native Americans. He paved the way for Primitivism, becoming the first artist to utilize “primitive characteristics” to achieve broad public success.