The painting that portrays the culmination of Le Pouldu influence on Gauguin is Flutist on the Rocks, painted with such violence and energy that at first it appears to be only a jumble of lines on the canvas, and only after a few seconds can the detail of the painting be made out. The first thing that is noticed is the rapidly moving wave on the left hand side of the canvas. This effect is created with long multicoloured lines in the wave, at such a steep angle that the sea looks almost as treacherous as the cliff that it faces. And likewise this cliff is painted in a similar manner as the wave, with long, steep parallel lines depicting its danger and steepness, causing it to look like another wave coming to battle the sea.
It is natural then, as Gauguin’s “savagery” grew even further, that he realized that he needed an even wilder way of life to satisfy his needs. Thus, by 1881 Gauguin had made his mind up to go to Tahiti. He sold all his works, made as much money as he could, and in early April finally set sail (Burnett 119). The change of Gauguin’s art, the way it was influenced by Le Pouldu, is analogous to the change occurring in Gauguin’s character and his view of European life. Living at Le Pouldu, he saw himself as “Living like a peasant under the name of savage” ( Qtd Malingue, 126). The coast had slowly released the savage within the artist, and he was well aware of it. Therefore, it is quite possible that if it were not for the Le Pouldu coast, Gauguin would never have taken to sea and embarked on his journey to Tahiti. It is likely his art would have never taken the wild turn to Symbolism; he may never have created the powerful paintings he produced during and after his stay in Polynesia. It is unsurprising then, that Le Pouldu has been described as “Gauguin’s first Tahiti” (Mothére, Qtd. Burnett, 87). Yet perhaps it might be more appropriate to look at Tahiti as Gauguin’s second Le Pouldu. He came to Le Pouldu to reach his inner wild self, drawn to it by its savage coast and lifestyle. However, as time went on he came to want more. Finally he realized that the Bréton Coast could not cater to his increasingly savage self. He decided that he needed complete freedom, complete independence from the western world in order to be him self. It was only after being exposed to the savage sea for long enough that he finally realized - through his art and through his life - that the sea was exactly where he needed to go, that it was the place where his heart belonged.