Post-Impressionism (alternatively spelled Postimpressionism) was a primarily French artistic movement that flourished approximately from 1886 to 1905, spanning the period from the final Impressionist exhibition to the advent of Fauvism. This movement arose in opposition to the Impressionists' focus on the realistic portrayal of light and color. Characterized by a broad emphasis on abstract qualities or symbolic content, Post-Impressionism encompasses diverse styles such as Les Nabis, Neo-Impressionism, Symbolism, Cloisonnism, the Pont-Aven School, and Synthetism, as well as contributions from certain later Impressionist artists. Key figures within this movement included Paul Cézanne (often recognized as the progenitor of Post-Impressionism), Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, and Georges Seurat.
The term Post-Impressionism was initially employed by art critic Roger Fry in 1906. Subsequently, in a review of the Salon d'Automne published in Art News on October 15, 1910, critic Frank Rutter characterized Othon Friesz as a "post-impressionist leader." The publication also featured an advertisement for the exhibition titled The Post-Impressionists of France. Just three weeks later, Fry re-employed the term when curating the 1910 exhibition Manet and the Post-Impressionists, which he defined as encompassing the evolution of French art since Édouard Manet.
Post-Impressionists expanded upon Impressionism while simultaneously rejecting its inherent limitations. While maintaining the use of vibrant colors, often employing impasto (a technique involving the thick application of paint), and continuing to paint directly from observation, they increasingly prioritized the emphasis on geometric forms, the distortion of shapes for expressive impact, and the deployment of non-naturalistic or altered color palettes.
Overview
Post-Impressionist artists expressed dissatisfaction with what they perceived as the superficiality of subject matter and the structural disintegration prevalent in Impressionist works, despite lacking a unified approach for progression. Georges Seurat and his adherents focused on pointillism, a method characterized by the systematic application of minute color dots. Paul Cézanne aimed to re-establish order and structural integrity in painting, famously articulating his ambition to "make of Impressionism something solid and durable, like the art of the museums." His approach involved simplifying objects into fundamental geometric forms while preserving the vibrant color palettes characteristic of Impressionism. Camille Pissarro, an Impressionist, explored Neo-Impressionist concepts from the mid-1880s to the early 1890s. Expressing discontent with what he termed "romantic Impressionism," Pissarro delved into pointillism, which he labeled "scientific Impressionism," before reverting to a more unadulterated Impressionist style during his final decade. Vincent van Gogh frequently employed vivid colors and prominent brushwork to communicate his emotional states and psychological condition.
Despite frequent joint exhibitions, Post-Impressionist artists did not coalesce into a unified, cohesive movement. Nevertheless, across their diverse oeuvres, abstract principles of harmony and structural organization consistently superseded naturalistic representation. Certain artists, notably Seurat, embraced a rigorously scientific methodology for color application and compositional design.
Defining Post-Impressionism
The designation was employed in 1906 and subsequently in 1910 by Roger Fry, notably as the title for his exhibition of modern French painters, Manet and the Post-Impressionists, which he organized for the Grafton Galleries in London. However, three weeks prior to Fry's exhibition, art critic Frank Rutter had already published the term Post-Impressionist in Art News on October 15, 1910. This occurred within a review of the Salon d'Automne, where Rutter characterized Othon Friesz as a "post-impressionist leader," and the journal also contained an advertisement for the exhibition The Post-Impressionists of France.
The majority of artists featured in Fry's exhibition were chronologically younger than the Impressionists. Fry subsequently clarified his choice of terminology, stating, "For purposes of convenience, it was necessary to give these artists a name, and I chose, as being the vaguest and most non-committal, the name of Post-Impressionism. This merely stated their position in time relatively to the Impressionist movement." John Rewald, in his seminal 1956 publication, Post-Impressionism: From Van Gogh to Gauguin, confined the movement's temporal scope to the years between 1886 and 1892. Rewald regarded this work as a continuation of his 1946 study, History of Impressionism, and indicated that a "subsequent volume dedicated to the second half of the post-impressionist period," titled Post-Impressionism: From Gauguin to Matisse, was planned. This forthcoming volume was intended to broaden the period under consideration to encompass other artistic movements stemming from Impressionism, albeit restricted to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Rewald's focus was on prominent early Post-Impressionists active in France, such as van Gogh, Gauguin, Seurat, and Redon, examining their interrelationships and the artistic circles they frequented or opposed, including:
- Neo-Impressionism: This movement was derided by contemporary art critics and artists alike as Pointillism, though figures like Seurat and Signac preferred alternative designations, such as Divisionism.
- Cloisonnism: A transient term introduced in 1888 by art critic Édouard Dujardin to champion the work of Louis Anquetin, it was later also applied to the contemporary creations of Anquetin's friend, Émile Bernard.
- Synthetism: Another ephemeral term coined in 1889 to differentiate the recent works of Gauguin and Bernard from those of more conventional Impressionists who exhibited alongside them at the Café Volpini.
- Pont-Aven School: This designation primarily indicated that the involved artists had spent time working in Pont-Aven or other locations within Brittany.
- Symbolism: A term enthusiastically embraced by avant-garde critics in 1891, particularly after Gauguin abandoned Synthetism upon being recognized as a leading figure in Symbolist painting.
Furthermore, in his introductory remarks to Post-Impressionism, Rewald proposed a second volume that would feature artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri Rousseau "le Douanier," Les Nabis, and Cézanne, as well as the Fauves, the young Picasso, and Gauguin's final journey to the South Seas. This expansion would have extended the covered period at least into the first decade of the 20th century; however, this second volume remained incomplete.
Critical Assessments and Revisions
Rewald acknowledged that "the term 'Post-Impressionism' is not a very precise one, though a very convenient one," particularly when its definition is confined to French visual arts derived from Impressionism since 1886. Rewald's methodology for historical data was more narrative than analytical, and beyond this scope, he believed it sufficient to "let the sources speak for themselves."
Competing terms such as Modernism or Symbolism proved more challenging to manage, as they encompassed literature, architecture, and other art forms, and their influence extended across multiple countries.
- Modernism is currently regarded as the pivotal movement within international Western civilization, with its foundational origins in France, tracing back beyond the French Revolution to the Age of Enlightenment.
- Symbolism, conversely, is understood as a concept that emerged a century later in France, characterized by an individualistic approach. This allowed for the coexistence of local national traditions and personal artistic contexts. From its inception, a diverse array of artists employing symbolic imagery spanned a spectrum of approaches: for instance, The Nabis coalesced to forge a synthesis of tradition and novel forms, while others adhered to more conventional, often academic, structures in their pursuit of fresh content. Consequently, Symbolism is frequently associated with fantastic, esoteric, erotic, and other non-realist subject matter.
In response to contemporary discourse, the connotations of the term 'Post-Impressionism' have been re-examined. Alan Bowness and his collaborators extended the period under consideration to 1914, coinciding with the outbreak of World War I, but largely restricted their focus on the 1890s to France. Other European nations are relegated to standard interpretations, and Eastern Europe is entirely excluded.
In Germany, Paul Baum and Carl Schmitz-Pleis retrospectively provided significant impetus to the movement.
While a distinction is often drawn between classical 'Impressionism' and 'Post-Impressionism' in 1886, the precise conclusion and scope of 'Post-Impressionism' continues to be debated. Scholars such as Bowness and Rewald, along with their collaborators, considered Cubism a completely novel artistic departure. Consequently, Cubism was recognized as a distinct movement in France from its inception and subsequently in England. Conversely, Eastern European artists demonstrated less adherence to Western traditions, developing abstract and Suprematist painting styles, concepts that extended significantly into the 20th century.
Current academic discourse suggests that Post-Impressionism is most appropriately applied within Rewald's historical framework, focusing on French art from 1886 to 1914. This approach re-evaluates the evolving stances of Impressionist painters such as Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Auguste Renoir, alongside emerging schools and movements of the fin de siècle, ranging from Cloisonnism to Cubism. The declarations of war in July and August 1914 signify not merely the onset of a World War, but also a profound rupture in European cultural history.
Beyond general art historical accounts of Post-Impressionist works, numerous museums provide supplementary historical context, information, and gallery exhibitions, accessible both online and physically, to facilitate a more profound comprehension of Post-Impressionism within the realms of fine art and traditional artistic practices.
Post-Impressionism in Specific Countries
The exhibition catalogue, The Advent of Modernism: Post-impressionism and North American Art, 1900-1918, authored by Peter Morrin, Judith Zilczer, and William C. Agee for the 1986 High Museum of Art exhibition in Atlanta, offered a comprehensive overview of Post-Impressionism in North America.
Canada
Canadian Post-Impressionism represents a distinct development within the broader Post-Impressionist movement. The 1913 Spring exhibition of the Art Association of Montreal featured works by Randolph Hewton, A. Y. Jackson, and John Lyman, drawing severe criticism from the Montreal Daily Witness and the Montreal Daily Star. The scope of Post-Impressionism was broadened to encompass a painting by Lyman, who had previously studied under Matisse. Lyman subsequently articulated a defense and definition of the term, referencing a significant British exhibition he characterized as a major display of modern art.
Canadian artists and exhibitions
A diverse array of Canadian artists are associated with this movement. Notable figures include James Wilson Morrice, John Lyman, David Milne, Tom Thomson (a member of the Group of Seven), and Emily Carr. In 2001, the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa curated the traveling exhibition, The Birth of the Modern: Post-Impressionism in Canada, 1900-1920.
Gallery of major Post-Impressionist artists
Periods in Western art history
- Periods in Western art history
- Cubism
- Kapists
- Neo-impressionism
- Expressionism
- Fauvism
- History of painting
- Western painting
References and sources
References
Sources
- Bowness, Alan, et al.: Post-Impressionism. Cross-Currents in European Painting, Royal Academy of Arts & Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London 1979 ISBN 0-297-77713-0
Manet and the Post-Impressionists (exhibition catalogue by R. Fry and D. MacCarthy, London, Grafton Galleries, 1910–11)
- Manet and the Post-Impressionists (exh. cat. by R. Fry and D. MacCarthy, London, Grafton Gals, 1910–11)
- The Second Post-Impressionist Exhibition (exhibition catalogue by R. Fry, London, Grafton Galleries, 1912)
- J. Rewald. Post-Impressionism: From Van Gogh to Gauguin (New York, 1956, revised 3rd edition, 1978)
- F. Elgar. The Post-Impressionists (Oxford, 1977)
- Post-Impressionism: Cross-currents in European Painting (exhibition catalogue, edited by J. House and M. A. Stevens; London, Royal Academy, 1979–80)
- B. Thomson. The Post-Impressionists (Oxford and New York, 1983, revised 2nd edition, 1990)
- J. Rewald. Studies in Post-Impressionism (London, 1986)
- Beyond Impressionism, exhibition at Columbus Museum of Art, October 21, 2017 – January 21, 2018
Walter Sickert's review, titled "Post-Impressionists," published in The Fortnightly Review, discusses the "Manet and the Post-Impressionists" exhibition held at the Grafton Galleries.
- "Post-Impressionists", Walter Sickert's review in The Fortnightly Review of the "Manet and the Post-Impressionists" exhibition at the Grafton Galleries
- Roger Fry's lecture, "Post-Impressionism," delivered at the conclusion of the "Manet and the Post-Impressionists" exhibition at the Grafton Galleries, was subsequently published in The Fortnightly Review.
- A comprehensive exhibition catalog, titled Georges Seurat, 1859–1891, is available from The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art offers a complete exhibition catalog, Toulouse-Lautrec in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Marnin Young's reflection, titled "Roger Fry, Walter Sickert and Post-Impressionism at the Grafton Galleries," discusses the 1910–1911 exhibition.