Around the end of the 19th century, many modern Western artists began to stylize their works based on the art and cultures of foreign countries. It was a time when modern artists such as Paul Gauguin and Emil Nolde studied primitive cultures and created works that used styles and compositions never before seen in Western artistic circles. Abigail Solomon-Godeau and Jill Lloyd focused their articles on how Paul Gauguin and Emil Nolde used their knowledge of the countries they studied to create indigenously inspired paintings. The articles focused on how each artist used primitive paintings to express their impressions and experiences in the countries they explored. Relating primitive cultures to their Western counterparts, Abigail Solomon-Godeau explains how Gauguin uses his experiences and creates artworks to capture mythological discourses in his art. After being fired from his job as an investment advisor in Bertin, France, Paul Gauguin began to move away from an economic career towards a more artistic lifestyle. Gauguin moved to Pont-Aven and began painting in his now famous primitive style. While in Pont-Aven, he noticed that the people living there and the city were essentially 100 years behind 1880s France, both economically and culturally. He used artwork from the area and borrowed several iconic symbols to create his art. Symbols such as the yellow wooden Christ found in Pont-Aven Cathedral were an inspiration for his work. Numerous other locations, such as Tahiti and those of his 1889 Universal Exhibition, helped Gauguin establish a mythical discourse in his Primitive-style paintings. Abigail Solomon-Godeau states how the “mythical discourse” is presented with Gauguin's work in her article, ...... in the center of the paper ......ingredients such as Pont-Aven, Tahiti or Africa . The lifestyle and artwork of primitive cultures painted in the style of Gauguin and Nolde have unfortunately now also become "gift shop" tourist treasures. Although the work of Gauguin and Nolde is still popular in legitimate artistic circles, the reality is that Western cultures have practically absorbed virtually every corner of the earth. Their depiction of primitive cultures has essentially become advertisements featuring vacation spots for Westerners. Works Cited Solomon-Godeau, Abigail. “Going native.” Art in America 77.7 (July 1989): 118-29.BlackBoard. University of Oregon. Network. May 26, 2014.Lloyd, Jill. "Emil Nolde's 'ethnographic' still lifes: primitivism, tradition, modernity." The myth of primitivism. By Susan Hiller. Np: Routledge, 1991. 90-112. Board. University of Oregon Web. May 26th 2014.