The Moon and Sixpence is a novel by W Somerset Maugham, inspired by the life of the painter Paul Gaugin. A middle-aged man named Charles Strickland abandons his life of wealth and comfort, his wife and children to pursue a life as a painter. After leaving his family in London, moving to Paris and living in poverty, Stroeve recognizes Strickland's artistic genius. Strove's wife leaves him for Strickland, but Strickland abandons her and eventually moves to Tahiti. The novel presents a dichotomy between ethics and the quest for beauty.