POST-IMPRESSIONISM ART

This was a movement led by Impressionist painters who pushed the envelope a bit farther. Post-Impressionists maintained the thick paint, bold brushstrokes colors, and everyday subjects of the Impressionists but added an emphasis on geometric forms. They distorted reality to great effect.

From the geometric constructions of Paul Cezanne, to the explosive colors of Vincent van Gogh, the Post-Impressionists took the innovative spirit of Impressionism and widened the vision. Many of these artists are considered Impressionists, and rightly so, but where early Impressionists had explored the mysteries of light and moments in time, their idyllic canvases reflected the Realists and Romantics who came before.

Post-Impressionists flattened images and explored new directions in subject, color, form, technique, and composition. Although this period of art is closely tied to Impressionism, the Post-Impressionists represent a crucial turn toward abstraction. This group of artists opened the gates to what we now think of as “Modern Art.” You can trace their path from the influence Van Gogh had on Henri Matisse, through Matisse’s leadership of the Fauvism (Wild Beast) movement and then beyond. The innovative spirit of Expressionists, Abstract Expressionists and Minimalists can all be traced back to Post-Impressionism.