Post-Impressionism:1886-1905 bright colors, splashy brushwork, and raw subjects

After impressionism: a search for meaning Catch-all term describing art that came after Impressionism. Post-Impressionism (as a art name) was coined by writer, editor, and museum director, Roger Fry, who used the term in 1910 and 1912 for two shows at London’s Grafton Galleries by works of Cezanne, Gauguin, and Matisse. The name stuck Postimpressionist kept Impressionism’s bright colors but added a whole new focus on meaning, whether primitive, mystical, or scientific. It also encompasses minor movements within Post- Impressionism: Symbolism Neo-Impressionism, Cloisonnism, Pont-Aven School, and Synthetism. Led by Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguinn, Vincent vanGogh, and Georges Seurata.

Post-Impressionism and the late 19th century 1875: Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 1879-1880: Edison invents the light bulb 1880’s: European colonization of Africa 1883: Brooklyn Bridge opens 1894: Cinematograph invented 1898: The Curies discover radium 1899: Sigmund Freud writes the Interpretation of Dreams 1908: First Model T by Ford

who’s who: primary Georges Seurat (1859-1891): such a careful artist, he painted one dot at a time Paul Gauguin (1848-1903): wild man and artist of bright colors and primitive mysteries, went to Tahiti, died of syphilis Paul Cezanne (1839-1906): father of modern art painted a mountain over and over again Vincent Van Gogh (1853-90): every brushstroke is alive in his intense expressionistic scenes. And yes, he did cut off his ear. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901): colorful scenes of Paris cabaret life from the short guy played in the moves by Jose Ferrer.

Who’s Who: Secondary(some not all) Gustave Moreau (1826-98): Matisse’s teacher, he painted bejeweled scenes of myth and imaginary civilizations Edvard Munch ((1866-1944): also an early Expressionist who relied on brazen colors and linear distortions Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (1824-98): muralist with a taste for arcadian scenes in pale colors Odilon Redon (1840-1916): lithography whose dreamy scenes were populated by eyeballs, flowers with faces, and other weird creatures. Eugene Carriere (1849-1906): painted blurry mystical scenes of motherhood

Henri de toulouse-Lautrec, 1890 At the Moulin Rouge, The Dance Oil 3’9” x 4’11’ Philadelphia Museum of Art

Paul Cezanne, 1898-1905 The Bathers oil on canvas 82 7/8” x 98 3/4 “ Philadelphia Museum of Art

Georges Seurat: 1884-1886 A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte oil on canvas 81.7” x 121.125” Art Institue of Chicao

Vincent van gogh: 1889 The Starry Night oil on canvas 29” x 36 1/4 “ Museum of Modern Art, NYC

“They are vast stretches of wheat under troubled skies, and I did not have to go out of my way very much in order to try to express sadness and extreme loneliness…. I'm fairly sure that these canvases will tell you what I cannot say in words, that is, how healthy and invigorating I find the countryside.” Van Gogh: 1890 Wheatfields with crows oil on canvas 50. 5 x 103. cm Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Paul Gauguin: 1897 Nevermore oil on canvas 1’ 11 7/8” x 3’ 9 5/8” Courtauld institute of art galler, London, england

john singer sargent, 1882 daughters of edward barley oil on canvas 7’ 3” x 7’ 3” Museum of fine arts, boston, ma

The symbolist movement Began as a literary movement (France and Belgium) emphasizing internal psychological phenomena rather than objective descriptions of nature Symbolist believed that by focusing on dreams, it was possible to rise above the her and now of specific time and place and arrive at what is universal. It was a rejection of “naturalism” in favor of the Idea and the Self. Attracted to the internal world of the imagination and by images that portrayed the irrational aspects of the human mind.

Gustave Moreau, 1880-1881 Galatea oil on panel 33 1/2” x 26 1/2” Musee d’Orsay, Paris

Fin de Siecle Developments: End of the century Aestheticism: sole justification of art is its intrinsic beauy Derived from the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, who believed aesthetics should be independent of morality and utility. Tried to establish the independence of art from ethical considerations Oscar Wilde (English playwright) spokesman for aestheticism shocked the norm with his lifestyle and writings who later was convicted for homosexual offenses. ART NOUVEAU—Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898) created Salome WITH THE HEAD OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, pen drawing, 11 x 6”, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY is a drawing as an embellishment to Wilde’s play Salome use of strong blacks, unnatural, and the macabre with overtures of sexual metaphors.

art nouveau: new art ornamental style composed of curvilinear, organic forms that was a Europeanwide response against industrialization and the prevalence of the machine. In France it was known as Style Moderne or Modern Style In Germany as Jugendstil or Youthful Style Italy as Stile Liberty Spain as Modernismo. characterized by sinuous, asymmetrical, linear patterns that primarily influenced architecture, decorative arts, wrought iron work.

victor horta, 1892 Staircase of the Maison Tassel, Brussels

Hector Guimard, 1900 Entrance to Metro station, Paris

Gustav klimt, 1908 Kiss oil on canvas 5’ 10 7/8 “ x 5’ 10 7/8” Osterreichische Galerie, Vienna.

Henri Rousseau, 1910 The dream oil on canvas 6’ 8” x 9’ 9 1/2 “ Museum of Modern Art, NYC

Post-Impressionisn and beyond summary Postimpressionism is particularly good on posters by Cezanne, Gauguin, van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Seurat Postimpressionism is a hybrid term used by common agreement to describe French painting in the last fifteen years of the nineteenth century Postimpressionism replaced by Impressionism’s blurred haze of brush strokes with sinuous lines and solid colors Postimpressionism discarded the Impressionist emphasis on how the eye sees the world with its own search for how the tormented human mind understands it.

One last note: freud on the mechanism of dreaming 1899 Sigmund Freud published The Interpretation of Dreams—it’s impact on Western thought has been enormous As defined by Freud there are four mechanisms for dreaming: Representability—an idea/feeling can be changed into a picture. The dream picture is an unconscious regression from words to images Condensation-merges two or more elements into a new disguised form displacement—moving an element from its usual setting to another place symbolization—the process of making something that stands for something else