Post Impressionism emerged around 1886 and it lasted until 1910
It is considered as an evolution from Impressionism creating a new approach to techniques and ways of representing reality which are the base of the avant-garde movements.
As you know Impressionist painters were the creators of modern art. Postimpressionist artists wanted to go beyond the innovations introduced by Impressionists.
The term Post Impressionism is just to describe these artists came after the Impressionism.
Post impressionists learned how to use light and shadow and the use of color from the Impressionists. However, they wanted to try new subjects, techniques, colors and shapes to express their emotions in art.
Characteristics of Post – Impressionism
- Each artist had his/her own style but all of them wanted to push the limits of the Impressionism
- Many post impressionist were inspired by real-life subjects although others were inspired by personal matters from their memory or their dreams.
- Artists used geometric shapes and abstract figures to represent their real-life subjects. They wanted to present deep meanings instead of just the general impression which was the goal of the Impressionism.
- The use of color is personal and sometimes has nothing to do with reality.
- Painters used powerful, thick, and loose brushstrokes including saturated colored dots.
- Colors were bright and paint was applied thickly. Single color forms were painted side by side and the viewer´s perception will join them.
Famous Post-impressionism Artists
- Paul Cezanne – Cezanne worked in the Impressionist style for a while. At the beginning of his career, he participated in the Impressionist exhibitions. Later he developed his own style. He painted landscapes in flat colors. He used small brush strokes and decomposed objects into geometric figures in his still life and landscape paintings. . He broke up his paintings into blocks of color and shapes. His unique style gave rise to Cubism later.
- Paul Gauguin – Gauguin was a close friend of van Gogh until they had an argument and van Gogh cut part of his ear off. Gauguin used bright colors and flat patterns in landscapes. Gauguin left France to Tahiti where he painted native people. The way Gauguin used color and pattern influence Henry Matisse and the Fauvism. His art became famous after his death.
- Henri Rousseau was close to the Impressionists; however, he is well-known for his colorful jungle scenes and meticulous brush strokes. His style is known as primitivism. He painted some portraits but most of his works come from his imagination and are like dreams. He was a self-taught painter, so his paintings look like child -like and the artists that use this style are called naïve.
- Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec – Toulouse-Lautrec was rich but disabled. He lived in Paris and portrayed the nightlife of Paris, especially the Moulin Rouge, a popular cabaret at the time. He was good at drawings in paint and sometimes he used pastel colors for his drawings. Toulousse-Lautrec also designed posters to advertise entertainments and theatres.
- Vincent van Gogh is considered one of the greatest painters in history. He used bright colors like Gauguin but his style is completely different. He used short brushstrokes and lots of wavy lines. Van Gogh suffered from mental illness and he became famous after his death. His paintings are full of passion and originality. Other painters were influenced by his work as he was free to express his feelings instead of portraying reality. Expressionist painters were directly influenced by van Gogh and Gauguin.
- Georges Seurat collaborated with the Impressionists and he was interested in the effects of light on color. However, Seurat studied the light and realized it was divided in multiple particles, then he painted in hundreds of tiny dots of bright color. This style is known as pointillism.
LESSON PLAN:
LESSON PLAN ON POSTIMPRESSIONISM
POWER POINT TO REVIEW:
NOTES ON POSTIMPRESSIONISM:
VIDEOS TO REVIEW:
WORKSHEETS:
4 TRAVELLING ACROSS TIME 