post-impressionism is an artistic movement that emerged in France around 1880. Artists belonging to this movement are known for their innovative character. In general, post-impressionist paintings feature strong colors and are extremely expressive.
The main post-impressionist painters are the French Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and the Dutch Vincent van Gogh. One of the best-known works by the famous painter van Gogh is the starry night, from 1889. In it, it is possible to observe the strong brushstrokes, in addition to its expressive aspect.
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Summary on post-impressionism
The post-impressionist movement emerged in France at the end of the 19th century.
Post-impressionism is mainly characterized by innovation and diversity.
The appreciation of emotions and sensations are important characteristics of the movement.
The most famous post-impressionist artist is the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh.
Features of Post-Impressionism
The term “post-impressionism” was first used by the English painter Roger Fry (1866-1934), when mentioning some French painters who produced works between 1880 and 1905. Generally speaking, the post-impressionist paintings exhibit varied characteristics, sometimes contrasting, as each artist had his personal style:
careful with the drawing;
emphasis on ambient lighting;
portrait of expressive people and objects;
expression of emotions;
valuation of sensations;
preoccupation with the geometric form;
color intensity;
pursuit of simplicity.
In this way, Cézanne, for example, was a forerunner of wubism, by valuing geometric shapes. Van Gogh, on the other hand, It isxpressionism, due to his intense brushstrokes. Therefore, post-impressionism is marked by innovation and diversity. After all, each post-impressionist artist sought his own aesthetic identity.
Major Artists and Works of Post-Impressionism
Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) — three skulls (1900).
Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) — Where we came from? Who we are? Where are we going? (1897).
Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) — the starry night (1889).
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) — Examination at the Faculty of Medicine (1901).
Impressionism and Post-Impressionism
Impressionist painting seeks to portray simple landscapes through imprecise contours. In this perspective, the iimpressionism opposes realistic aesthetics, which favors clear features, in order to be faithful to the portrayed reality. Impressionist painters also valued sunlight on objects and used quick brushstrokes and neutral colors.
Post-impressionism can be considered an evolution in relation to impressionism, since its artists have greater freedom of creation and experimentation. Therefore, it is not a uniform movement, as it is characterized by authorial diversity, in order to foreshadow the new artistic movements that would emerge at the beginning of the 20th century.
Read too: Dadaism — cultural and artistic movement that preached “anti-art”
Historical Context of Post-Impressionism
post-impressionism Originated in France around 1880. Thus, at the end of the 19th century, artists began to doubt that scientific thinking was capable of solving all of society's problems. This is because, in Europe, what was seen at that time was the growth of poverty and social inequality.
Furthermore, economic growth from Industrial Revolution ended up generating strong rivalry between the European powers. In this context of political tension, also accentuated by the growth of the labor movement, the post-impressionist painters sought other ways of portraying reality other than aesthetics realist.
By Warley Souza
Literature Teacher
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/artes/pos-impressionismo.htm