… The 12 works he showed in 1882 attracted many negative reviews, and were seen as less innovative than his earlier paintings. In the meantime, his wife Mette witnessed with growing concern the way in which Gauguin's hobby was turning into an all-consuming passion. She tried to remind him of his duties as a husband and father, but her complaints had the opposite effect, and drove him away for good. Gauguin tried to transmit his love for paintings to her, but clashed against Mette's manipulative, cold personality.
1882-85: Rouen and Copenhagen
As a consequence of the collapse of the Union Generale in 1883, Gauguin lost his job and decided, against his wife's advice, to devote himself to painting on a full-time basis. In November they moved to Rouen, in Normandy, partly because life was not so expensive as in Paris, and partly to follow Pissarro's example. The new environment, however, did not respond favourably to Gauguin's innovative art, and success eluded him. Unable to sell his paintings, he soon exhausted his savings. After eight months, Mette, frustrated by her husband's inability to provide a decent living for his family, returned with their children to her parents' home in Copenhagen. Paul followed her, expecting to find an environment more receptive to his art, but he was deluding himself: an exhibition organized by the Society of the Friends of the Arts, went virtually unnoticed and closed after only five days. Made bitter by his failure, Gauguin decided to return to France, and leave his family behind. "Right now I feel low on courage and resources… Each day I wonder whether I should go to the barn and put a rope around my neck. Painting is the only thing that keeps me alive."
