Post-Impressionism Continued to draw themes from modern urban world of pleasure and recreation Not as concerned with spontaneity Focused on formal aspects of painting such as composition or a deeper expression of human feeling Return to studio painting
By the time of the last Salon de Refuse in 1886, Impressionism, which a decade earlier had been considered revolutionary, had gained critical and public acceptance. New avant-garde styles were now being explored by younger artists.
Post-Impressionists extended some of Impressionism’s qualtiies while rejecting its limitations: they continued using vivid colours, often thick application of paint, and real-life subject matter, but were more inclined to emphasize geometric forms (Cezanne), distort form for expressive effect (Van Gogh), and use unnatural or arbitrary colour (Gaugin).
George Seurat Youngest of new painters Developed new method, divisionism; based on placing small dots of primary colours and allowing the eye to do the blending Now termed pointillism
Georges Seurat. A Sunday Afternoon on the Grande Jatte ’ x 10’
developed method in response to scientific theories about the perception of light and color put forth by Eugene Chevreul Seurat's paintings are a visual experiment of this idea, placing tiny dots of primary colours side by side, and allowing the viewer's mind "mix" them.
Vincent van Gogh While Impressionists wanted to capture the play of light on surfaces, van Gogh used colour, line, and pattern to represent the mood and emotion of people and places
Vincent first tried to be an art dealer, working in his uncle's gallery. He was fired from the position because his opinions about the superficiality of much of the art interfered with his ability to sell it, and his rough manner was offensive to some of the customers He then went to school to train as a minister. Fired again Moved to Paris – inspired by Impressionist
The Night Café at Arles Oil on canvas, 28” x 36”.
Van Gogh wrote of this painting, “ the idea that the café is a place where one can ruin oneself, run mad or commit a crime…So I have tried to express, as it were, the powers of darkness in a low public house. ” shifted the emphasis of painting from depicting an impression of surfaces to what lay beneath them
Vincent van Gogh. Starry Night
Paul Cézanne Claimed he wanted to make Impressionism something solid and durable, like the art of the Old Masters Wanted to keep Impressionism's subjects and methods, without abandoning the structure of traditional art – reclaim composition Brushwork reminded viewer that painting is done on a flat surface
Brushstrokes are short and used to build up planes of colour Master of colour, composition, and draftsmanship interested in the simplification of naturally occurring forms to their geometric essentials, he wanted to "treat nature by the cylinder, the sphere, the cone”
Still Life with Basket of Apples
If we analyze Cézanne's Still Life with Basket of Apples as an illusion or as an exercise in accurate drawing, it is a failure. Neither the front nor the back edges of the table, for example, are continuous, the tilted wine bottle offers a distinctive contour on each side, and the pastries stacked on the plate seem tilted upward. Indicates move towards formal abstraction (Picasso’s cubism)
Paul Gauguin Early years of travel – Peru Early career as a stockbroker before abandoning wife and 5 children in Copenhagen to become a painter Traveled to Paris, lived with good friend Van Gogh
disappointed with Impressionism, he felt that traditional European painting had become too imitative and lacked symbolic depth. art of Africa and Asia seemed to him full of mystic symbolism and vigour decorative designs, with bold, non- naturalistic colour, and distinct outlines suggest influence of Japanese prints
Paul Gauguin. After the Sermon
Lack of recognition and finances – fled to tropics Worked on Panama canal before settling in French Polynesia Style referred to as Primitivism - exaggerated body proportions, animal totems, geometric designs and stark contrasts.
Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? Oil on canvas, 58” x 148”
This piece, part of a series of introspective paintings inspired by his new country, was considered by Gauguin "to be his masterpiece and the summation of his ideas" vowed that he would commit suicide following this painting's completion – he died of syphilis in 1903 The piece should be viewed as a text from right to left
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec legs stopped growing at age 14 Turned to painting- was unable to participate in most activities carried out by peers Combines Degas ’ s formal structure with van Gogh ’ s intense colours Best known for lithographs and posters with bold design, and memorable characterizations
Divan Japonais 1893 Lithograph in four colors 31 x 23.5 inches. -design for a fashionable cabaret decorated with an eastern influence -based on japanese woodcuts -subjects are recognizable friends of T- L, dancer Jane Avril, critic Edouard Dujardin, and singer Yvette Guilbert
At the Moulin Rouge Oil on canvas. 49” x 55”.
Captures seedy atmosphere of the era ’ s dance halls Once again see Western artist ’ s fascination with Japanese prints: tilted perspective, flatness, bold colour Rejected rules of western artistic tradition
Hashimoto Sadahide. Picture of Western Traders at Yokohama Transporting MerchandisePicture of Western Traders at Yokohama Transporting Merchandise Color woodblock print, 15 in. x 10 in. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress
Ochiai Yoshiiku. Drinking Party among People of Five Countries at the Gankirô Tea House Color woodblock print, 15 in. x 10 in. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress
Takeji FUJISHIMA: Perfume 1915