Post Impressionism (Contextual Studies)
Post Impressionism (first coined in 1906) is one of the more complicated art movements, simply in the sense that it does not convey a singular idea but rather a collection of advancements from the Impressionist ideology. Defining Post Impressionism is difficult as each artist went in a different direction. Whilst most of these artists originated in France, their responses to Impressionism and it's limitations would vary greatly. Some would focus on shape, trying to bring more form back to Impressionist subjects, whilst others would focus on colour, granting it a more abstract use. Colour and colour theory would play a big part in Post impressionism.
Historically there are four artists who stand out as being the most notable Post Impressionists. Paul Gauguin, Paul Cezanne, Vincent Van Gough and George Seurat. I'll look at each of them briefly, to summarise how each contributed to the ideals of Post Impressionism.
The Vision after the Sermon (Jacob wresting with the Angel) from 1888 is a great insight into French painter Paul Gauguin's approach to Post Impressionism. Unhappy with Impressionism's limitations with colour and form, he started using saturated and flat colours in his work, often opting for colours that inspired feeling more than realism. The use of red in this image is a perfect example. This would also be the first time Gauguin departs from painting naturalistic landscapes and injects them with a strong and personal religious meaning. This is something he would continue into his later works.
Night Cafe at Arles is another example of flat and overly saturated and non-naturalistic colours. Also from 1888, it shows Gauguin's approach to form. Heavily inspired by Japanese woodprints (such as Hokusai's work), Gaugin simplifies form to give the subjects a clearer representation. Many of the objects in this image have been overly simplified, the smoke in the background perhaps the best example. His style became known as Synthetism, which means he looked past the subject for form, drawing from it's shape, but also his own feelings and emotions towards the subject.
Paul Cezanne is arguably one of the most influential artists of all time. He bridged the gap from Impressionism to modern 20th century art and is often credited as inspiring Cubism. His style focused on a multitude of different elements, but most notably in his brushstrokes as seen here in Mont Saint-Victoire and Chateau Noir (1904-05). He opted for smaller, more repetitive strokes, really reducing and exploiting the form of his subjects in a unique and eye opening way. Colour was overly saturated and simplified. His shapes were highlighted with simple shapes and shading. He would soon begin to warp perspective in new ways to, paving the way for Cubism. I regard Cezanne as a juggernaut for the development of art, as is a personal favourite. I find his work truly ground breaking and innovative for this time.
Vincent Van Gogh. Another powerhouse of the art world. He contributed so much to, not only the art community, but the world. Many of his artworks are universally recognised. His style became so poignant that his work is celebrated arguably more than any other artist to date. And with good reason. His work did something remarkable. Van Gogh could see beyond a subject and truly pull out emotions and feelings. His best work could inspire feelings with a single glance. More than any other artist I know, his work cuts right into you and pulls at your very soul. Starry night over the Rhone from 1888 is unquestionably my personal favourite painting of all time. In it, Van Gogh simplifies colour and explores it in new ways. His brushstrokes are fueled with emotion, spiraling and circling. Ultimately creating a mood and feeling behind his subjects. This is more often seen is his better known Starry Night, but for me, Starry Night over the Rhone is just the better painting. It's calming and serene, yet overwhelming at the same time. It looks out at the endless world and space and yet is soothes you with it's colour. Van Gogh is someone who I consider a genius of his craft, in the purest and rawest sense.
George Seurat would take an interesting approach to colour and form when he broke both of them into tiny fragments. Creating something that would soon become known as Pointillism, Seurat would break colour into it's base make up and layer it with tiny dots to create shape and different colour. As the eye perceives these two dots together, they are merged to create and give the illusion of a third colour. For example, a close knit red and blue dot creates the image of a purple shape in your mind. My favourite example of this is one of Seurat's more grand and impressive pieces A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jatte from 1884-6. Though his shape and form seem crisp and clear, closer inspection shows the mass of dots Seurat has created to form shape and colour.
Similar to Monet before him, Seurat would explore colour and colour theory, looking at how different colours interacted with each other. In particular how contrasting and complimentary colours could be used for shading. 1891's The Circus is a great example of this. Not only has he explored using blues and purples for shadow, but he's also given his subjects and analogous colour scheme. Almost monochromatic. Despite this, the complimentary colour for shading gives them image an incredible depth and shape to it.
Post Impressionism is for me is where conformity begins to end in art. Prior to now, most artists tended to stick to a similar style or motif. Even when they were protesting against previous movements, it seemed to be in unison. Impressionism was the first step in moving in different directions, but Post Impressionism is where it truly begins to have an impact. The four main Post Impressionists are all uniquely different. From here on out, art would go down incredibly diverse and creative routes. To me, personally, Post Impressionism gave the world some of it's all time best artists.
Historically there are four artists who stand out as being the most notable Post Impressionists. Paul Gauguin, Paul Cezanne, Vincent Van Gough and George Seurat. I'll look at each of them briefly, to summarise how each contributed to the ideals of Post Impressionism.
The Vision after the Sermon (Jacob wresting with the Angel) from 1888 is a great insight into French painter Paul Gauguin's approach to Post Impressionism. Unhappy with Impressionism's limitations with colour and form, he started using saturated and flat colours in his work, often opting for colours that inspired feeling more than realism. The use of red in this image is a perfect example. This would also be the first time Gauguin departs from painting naturalistic landscapes and injects them with a strong and personal religious meaning. This is something he would continue into his later works.
Night Cafe at Arles is another example of flat and overly saturated and non-naturalistic colours. Also from 1888, it shows Gauguin's approach to form. Heavily inspired by Japanese woodprints (such as Hokusai's work), Gaugin simplifies form to give the subjects a clearer representation. Many of the objects in this image have been overly simplified, the smoke in the background perhaps the best example. His style became known as Synthetism, which means he looked past the subject for form, drawing from it's shape, but also his own feelings and emotions towards the subject.
Paul Cezanne is arguably one of the most influential artists of all time. He bridged the gap from Impressionism to modern 20th century art and is often credited as inspiring Cubism. His style focused on a multitude of different elements, but most notably in his brushstrokes as seen here in Mont Saint-Victoire and Chateau Noir (1904-05). He opted for smaller, more repetitive strokes, really reducing and exploiting the form of his subjects in a unique and eye opening way. Colour was overly saturated and simplified. His shapes were highlighted with simple shapes and shading. He would soon begin to warp perspective in new ways to, paving the way for Cubism. I regard Cezanne as a juggernaut for the development of art, as is a personal favourite. I find his work truly ground breaking and innovative for this time.
Vincent Van Gogh. Another powerhouse of the art world. He contributed so much to, not only the art community, but the world. Many of his artworks are universally recognised. His style became so poignant that his work is celebrated arguably more than any other artist to date. And with good reason. His work did something remarkable. Van Gogh could see beyond a subject and truly pull out emotions and feelings. His best work could inspire feelings with a single glance. More than any other artist I know, his work cuts right into you and pulls at your very soul. Starry night over the Rhone from 1888 is unquestionably my personal favourite painting of all time. In it, Van Gogh simplifies colour and explores it in new ways. His brushstrokes are fueled with emotion, spiraling and circling. Ultimately creating a mood and feeling behind his subjects. This is more often seen is his better known Starry Night, but for me, Starry Night over the Rhone is just the better painting. It's calming and serene, yet overwhelming at the same time. It looks out at the endless world and space and yet is soothes you with it's colour. Van Gogh is someone who I consider a genius of his craft, in the purest and rawest sense.
George Seurat would take an interesting approach to colour and form when he broke both of them into tiny fragments. Creating something that would soon become known as Pointillism, Seurat would break colour into it's base make up and layer it with tiny dots to create shape and different colour. As the eye perceives these two dots together, they are merged to create and give the illusion of a third colour. For example, a close knit red and blue dot creates the image of a purple shape in your mind. My favourite example of this is one of Seurat's more grand and impressive pieces A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jatte from 1884-6. Though his shape and form seem crisp and clear, closer inspection shows the mass of dots Seurat has created to form shape and colour.
Similar to Monet before him, Seurat would explore colour and colour theory, looking at how different colours interacted with each other. In particular how contrasting and complimentary colours could be used for shading. 1891's The Circus is a great example of this. Not only has he explored using blues and purples for shadow, but he's also given his subjects and analogous colour scheme. Almost monochromatic. Despite this, the complimentary colour for shading gives them image an incredible depth and shape to it.
Post Impressionism is for me is where conformity begins to end in art. Prior to now, most artists tended to stick to a similar style or motif. Even when they were protesting against previous movements, it seemed to be in unison. Impressionism was the first step in moving in different directions, but Post Impressionism is where it truly begins to have an impact. The four main Post Impressionists are all uniquely different. From here on out, art would go down incredibly diverse and creative routes. To me, personally, Post Impressionism gave the world some of it's all time best artists.
Practical Work
Post Impressionism was probably the most daunting to approach. It covered so many different techniques and styles, and honestly all of these artists are ones I hold in the highest regard. To consider attempting their work felt like something of an epic task. I did a couple of small paintings, and I'm not particularly happy with them.
The image of this is a little blurred, I had a hard time getting my camera to focus. This is based loosely on Gauguin's Self Portrait with Portrait of Bernard. It's a quick self portrait of myself against a flat background colour, trying to mimic his use of flat, vibrant and often primary colours. I also tried to copy his shading technique, using blues and greys to represent shadow. I quite like this image, even if it was done pretty quickly. The use of colour is interesting to me.
So this is terrible. I hate this. I wanted to try and emulate the brush strokes Van Gogh would use, especially in Starry Night. But it was terrible. And the worst part is I'm not sure I understand why. I tries to keep my brushstrokes look a free, but everything feels too heavy and lost in itself. I wish I understood how Van Gogh was able to manipulate colour and form the way he did, but at this stage, I still haven't come close to truly understanding his technique. The frustrating thing for me is that I've seen some of my peers get really close, and I seem to struggle with this more than most.
To me, Post Impressionism is the pinnacle of fine art. That's just my opinion. But maybe because of that opinion I consider it as unobtainable or beyond the realms of recreating. Hopefully the more I learn about this, the more I'll be able to understand it, and perhaps one day even be able to correctly apply the techniques used here.
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