Early Life and Education
Born in 1943 in Manhattan, Gaon at an early age displayed creative talents. By age 14 he began painting while attending the Roosevelt School in Stamford, Connecticut. A key influence on him was painter Arthur Bressler (1927–1975) who was Gaon's teacher and mentor. Gaon graduated from the High School of Art and Design in New York City. In 1962, Gaon won the art studio award scholarship from the Art Students League which allowed him to study art on the European continent. In 1964, he studied in Academia 63 in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and furthered his European education with the Art Students League Merit Scholarship (1965) and the Edward G. McDowell traveling scholarship
He later stayed more than ten years in Europe, primarily in Paris, where his style evolved. The works of the Fauve painters - Derain, Vlaminck as well as Soutine, Kokoschka, Corinth, and especially Van Gogh have all strongly influenced his work.
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