Gauguinwas a prosperous stockbroker, a married man, and a Sunday painter when in 1883 he dramatically abandoned career and family to dedicate himself wholly to painting. His restless spirit drove him to Brittany where he established a colony of artists, to Arles where he painted with Van Gogh, and finally to the South Seas. In the primitive Eden of Tahiti he found his spiritual home.
After exhibiting with the Impressionists in the early eighties and assimilating their innovations,Gauguindeveloped a radically new style that emphasised strong outlines and brilliant , ornamental colour. Ia Orana Maria is one of his few religious paintings. It is Christian in feeling even while it exploits the exotic elements that had drawnGauguinto Tahiti: the beauty of its women, the lush, colourful vegetation, and the mysticism of the natives.