Post-Impressionism (painting)

The term "post-impressionism" was coined by British art critic Roger Fry in 1910, and is used to refer to a variety of radical painting styles that followed impressionism in the late nineteenth century. Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin, Georges Seurat, and Vincent Van Gogh are representative post-impressionist artists. Post-impressionist styles influenced many generations of artists and schools of painting in the late nineteenth and the twentieth century. Among the movements that stemmed from post-impressionism are cubism, fauvism, expressionism, and the works of Les Nabis. Post-impressionist painting moved toward more individualized forms, though the artists shared a preference for pure and intense colors, a return to the importance of line and form, and a drive to capture the expression of illuminated objects and people.

Background

Post-impressionism can only loosely be defined as a movement, as it was born from the desire of artists to experiment with radically different styles. The influence of impressionism continued to be reflected in their work, but new currents in philosophy, politics, and society drove innovations in both style and vision. As international trade expanded and travel to non-European destinations became more common, elements were adopted from foreign cultures, especially those considered primitive or exotic. Japanese Edo period prints were particularly fertile sources of inspiration. Some post-impressionist artists, such as Paul Cezanne (1830–1906), experimented with using geometric forms and strongly contrasting colors.

Post-Impressionist painters sought to express strong emotions through brushwork and distorted lines or perspective. They also shared an interest in exotic or unconventional subjects, which ranged from the Polynesian subjects of Paul Gauguin (1848–1903) to the decadent nightlife and cabarets depicted in livid colors and distorted lines by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901). Pierre Bonnard (1867–1947), an early post-impressionist and one of the founders of the avant-garde group known as Les Nabis, and Toulouse-Lautrec, exemplify the most innovative artists of the post-impressionist period. Post-impressionist painters often worked in printmaking, sculpting, ceramics, stained glass, and other non-canvas based disciplines, expanding the influence of their work into a wide range of areas in the following decades, including photography, film, and fashion.

Overview

Post-impressionism surged in France, as a number of artists, including Bonnard, Cezanne, Gauguin, Georges Seurat (1859–1891), and Vincent Van Gogh (1853–1890), who had started off as impressionist painters, broke away from impressionism. Preferring purer colors and forms, some based on geometry, they experimented with symbolism and abstraction. Although these artists are referred to generally as post-impressionists, they were not all part of a single movement or school. They mostly worked separately and developed different styles. Some of their contemporaries, such as Camille Pissarro (1830–1903), experimented with post-impressionist techniques, but are considered impressionists.

Differences among the post-impressionists can be contrasted in the works of Gauguin and Van Gogh. Gauguin, for example, worked with clearly defined forms and solid colors, flat planes, and themes that included religious symbolism and the exoticism of non-Western cultures, especially that of the Polynesian Islands. His style reflected his rejection of industrialization and preference for a "simple" life remote from his own culture. Van Gogh depicted images of rural life, such as peasants sitting around a table for a meal, in dark hues and rough, thick brushstrokes. He frequently chose poverty and peasantry as subjects, expressed, for example, in a pair of work-worn boots. Other pieces, such as L’Arlesienne, are rendered in vibrant colors and dark outlines. Some of his later works show the influence of the Barbizon school. Van Gogh’s thickly applied paint and crude renderings have led some experts to identify him as an influence on the modern expressionist groups, such as the German expressionists and the fauvists.

The post-impressionist period encompassed synthesism, cloisonnism, neo-impressionism, and symbolism. Cloisonnism, a style Emile Bernard (1868–1941), is named after the technique of cloisonné, in which colored material is inlaid into metalwork. The figures in cloisonnism were outlined in very dark colors, creating the mosaic-like effect of cloisonné. Both cloissonism and the closely associated synthesism of Gauguin were products of the Pont-Aven school. Neo-impressionism, a movement spearheaded by Georges Seurat, experimented with color through pointillism and divisionism, techniques in which color is applied in single dots, much like pixels. Symbolism found expression in the arts and letters during the romantic period (1800–1850) and was one of the styles adopted by some post-impressionists, notably Gauguin. Symbolic meanings were meant to mirror the artists’ mind and emotions beyond the materially observable. For example, Gauguin often recreated traditional Christian lore through elements from Polynesian culture in deeply subjective ways. Among his most emblematic pieces in this style is Orana Maria (Hail Mary; 1891).

The post-impressionist period ended with the inception of fauvism in the early twentieth century, and is considered to have lasted from about 1885 to 1905. Though work of the post-impressionists influenced many modern styles, some modern art historians identify abstract expressionism and cubism as the two which are most clearly rooted in post-impressionism. Post-impressionism is considered by many to be the foundation of twentieth century modern art.

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