Talk:Landscape with Peacocks (Death)

Peacocks in Tahiti?
In Gauguin's painting "Matamoe" a pair of Blue Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) is featured in the front. I doubt that there were any peacocks living in Tahiti in 1892. These birds are definitely not native to Polynesia but have been introduced to Hawaii in 1860 (but Tahiti?). Is there any evidence of peacocks in the remote area of this setting? Also, being rather shy, peacocks would not remain next to a man noisily chopping wood. My guess is that Gauguin included the peacocks just as a symbol of exotism from an European perspective. It was in fashion at that time in Europe to include peacocks in paintings symbolizing asian or general exotic settings. Profitox (talk) 09:02, 14 April 2023 (UTC)