In 1893, fed up with Paris life, this painter left his wife and children and moved to Tahiti, where he lived with a 14-year-old girl. Who was he?

The painter in question is Paul Gauguin, a pivotal figure in the Post (Review)-Impressionist and Symbolist art movements. Gauguin, driven by a desire to escape what he perceived as the artificiality and conventions of European society, famously abandoned his life in France, including his wife and five children, to seek a more "primitive" and authentic existence. He first set sail for Tahiti in April 1891, seeking a mythical paradise to inspire his art.

Upon arriving in Tahiti, Gauguin was initially disappointed to find that French colonial influence had already Westernized much of the island, particularly the capital, Papeete. To distance himself from this, he moved to more remote areas like Mataiea. It was there that he met Teha'amana, a young Tahitian girl who became his "native wife" and muse. According to Gauguin's own accounts, Teha'amana was around 13 years old when they met, though some records suggest she may have been closer to 15. Their union was arranged in a single afternoon, a common practice for French colonialists at the time, and she became the subject of several of his celebrated paintings, including "Spirit of the Dead Watching."

Gauguin returned to France in July 1893, after living in Tahiti for two years, partly to exhibit his Tahitian works and secure financial stability. However, he became disillusioned with the Parisian art scene and, despite initially planning to make a fresh start in Europe, he eventually returned to Tahiti in 1895, never to permanently reside in Europe again. His pursuit of an exoticized ideal and his controversial relationships with young Tahitian women remain a complex and debated aspect of his legacy.