▁I ▁was ▁fort un ate ▁enough ▁to ▁possess . ▁ ▁The ▁life ▁of ▁the ▁French ▁artist ▁Paul ▁G au gu in ▁is ▁the ▁insp iration ▁for ▁the ▁story , ▁however ▁the ▁character ▁of ▁Str ick land ▁as ▁a ▁solit ary , ▁soci op ath ic ▁and ▁destruct ive ▁genius ▁is ▁more ▁related ▁to ▁a ▁myth ological ▁version ▁of ▁G au gu in ' s ▁life , ▁which ▁the ▁artist ▁himself ▁developed ▁and ▁promoted , ▁than ▁the ▁actual ▁course ▁of ▁the ▁artist ' s ▁life . ▁The ▁real ▁G au gu in ▁was ▁a ▁particip ant ▁in ▁the ▁art istic ▁develop ments ▁in ▁France ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 8 8 0 s , ▁exhib iting ▁his ▁work ▁regularly ▁with ▁the ▁Im pression ists , ▁and ▁having ▁friend ships ▁and ▁collabor ations ▁with ▁many ▁artists . ▁G au gu in ▁did ▁work ▁as ▁a ▁stock bro ker , ▁did ▁leave ▁his ▁wife ▁and ▁family ▁to ▁dev ote ▁his ▁life ▁to ▁art , ▁and ▁did ▁leave ▁Europe ▁for ▁T ah iti ▁to ▁purs ue ▁his ▁career ; ▁however ▁none ▁of ▁this ▁happened ▁in ▁the ▁brut al ▁way ▁of ▁the ▁novel ' s ▁character . ▁M aug ham ▁took ▁insp iration ▁from ▁the ▁published ▁writ ings ▁about ▁G au gu in ▁available ▁at ▁the ▁time , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁personal ▁experience ▁living ▁among ▁the ▁art istic ▁community ▁in ▁Paris ▁in ▁ 1 9 0 4 , ▁and ▁a ▁visit ▁to ▁T ah iti ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 4 . ▁Str ick land ▁is ▁created ▁as ▁an