Neo-Impressionism (a.k.a. Divisionism or Pointillism) is a movement and a style. It is a subdivision of the larger avant-garde movement called Post-Impressionism.
Neo-Impressionism organized the system of applying separate colors to the surface so that the eye mixed the colors rather than the artist on his or her palette. The theory of chromatic integration claims that these independent tiny touches of color can be mixed optically to achieve better color quality.
Neo-Impressionism organized the system of applying separate colors to the surface so that the eye mixed the colors rather than the artist on his or her palette. The theory of chromatic integration claims that these independent tiny touches of color can be mixed optically to achieve better color quality.
The Neo-Impressionist surface seems to vibrate with a glow that radiates from the minuscule dots that are packed together to create a specific hue. The painted surfaces are especially luminescent.
The French artist Georges Seurat studied then-current color theory publications produced by Charles Blanc, Michel Eugène Chevreul and Odgen Rood, and formulated a precise application of painted dots that would mix optically for maximum brilliance. He called this system Chromoluminarism.
The Belgium art critic Félix Fénéon described Seurat's systematic application of paint in his review of the Eighth Impressionist Exhibition in La Vogue in June 1886. He added a bit to this article in his publicationLes Impressionistes en 1886, and from that little book his word néo-impressionisme took off as a name for Seurat and his followers.
How Long Was Neo-Impressionism a Movement?
From 1884 until 1935 (the end of Signac's life).
What Are the Key Characteristic of Neo-Impressionism?
- Tiny dots of local color.
- Clean, clear contours around the forms.
- Luminescent surfaces.
- A stylized deliberateness that emphasizes a decorative design.
- An artificial lifelessness in the figures and landscapes.
- Painted in the studio, instead of outdoors like the Impressionists.
- Carefully ordered and not spontaneous in its technique and intention.
- Subjects about contemporary life and landscapes.
Best Known Artists:
| Artist | Georges Seurat |
|---|---|
| Year | 1884–1886 |
| Type | Oil on canvas |
| Location | Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago |
.jpg)
Portrait of Félix Fénéon
(in front of an enamel of a rhythmic background
of measures and angles, shades and colors)
Symbolism originated in France, and was part of a 19th-century movement in which art became infused with mysticism. French Symbolism was both a continuation of the Romantic tradition and a reaction to the realistic approach of impressionism. It served as a catalyst in the outgrowth of the darker sides of Romanticism and toward abstraction.
The term Symbolism means the systematic use of symbols or pictorial conventions to express an allegorical meaning. Symbolism is an important element of most religious arts and reading symbols plays a main role in psychoanalysis. Thus, the Symbolist painters used these symbols from mythology and dream imagery for a visual language of the soul.
Not so much a style of art, Symbolism was more an international ideological trend. Symbolists believed that art should apprehend more absolute truths which could only be accessed indirectly. Thus, they painted scenes from nature, human activities, and all other real world phenomena in a highly metaphorical and suggestive manner. They provided particular images or objects with esoteric attractions.
There were several, rather dissimilar, groups of Symbolist painters and visual artists. Symbolism in painting had a large geographical reach, reaching several Russian artists, as well as American. The closest to Symbolism was Aestheticism. The Pre-Raphaelites, also, were contemporaries of the earlier Symbolists, and have much in common with them. Symbolism had a significant influence on Expressionism and Surrealism, two movements which descend directly from Symbolism proper. The work of some Symbolist visual artists directly impacted the curvilinear forms of the contemporary Art Nouveau movements in Europe and Les Nabis.
Examples of Symbolist works:
LES NABİS
Les Nabis were a Parisian group of Post-Impressionist artists and illustrators who became very influential in the field of graphic art. Their emphasis on design was shared by the parallel Art Nouveau movement. Both groups also had close ties to the Symbolists.
The main representatives of Les Nabis were Pierre Bonnard, Maurice Denis, Ker Xavier Roussel, Felix Vallotton, and Edouard Vuillard.
Georges Lacombe, Marine bleue, Effet de vagues, 1893
Pierre Bonnard, The Dining Room in the Country, 1913, Collection Minneapolis Institute of Arts
The term Symbolism means the systematic use of symbols or pictorial conventions to express an allegorical meaning. Symbolism is an important element of most religious arts and reading symbols plays a main role in psychoanalysis. Thus, the Symbolist painters used these symbols from mythology and dream imagery for a visual language of the soul.
Not so much a style of art, Symbolism was more an international ideological trend. Symbolists believed that art should apprehend more absolute truths which could only be accessed indirectly. Thus, they painted scenes from nature, human activities, and all other real world phenomena in a highly metaphorical and suggestive manner. They provided particular images or objects with esoteric attractions.
There were several, rather dissimilar, groups of Symbolist painters and visual artists. Symbolism in painting had a large geographical reach, reaching several Russian artists, as well as American. The closest to Symbolism was Aestheticism. The Pre-Raphaelites, also, were contemporaries of the earlier Symbolists, and have much in common with them. Symbolism had a significant influence on Expressionism and Surrealism, two movements which descend directly from Symbolism proper. The work of some Symbolist visual artists directly impacted the curvilinear forms of the contemporary Art Nouveau movements in Europe and Les Nabis.
Examples of Symbolist works:
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, Beheading of St. John the Baptist (La Décollation de St. Jean Baptiste), 1869, Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Birmingham, England. This was exhibited in the influential Armory Show of 1913.
Gustave Moreau (French, 1826-1898), The Unicorn, 1885, Musée Gustave Moreau, Paris. See horn.
Odilon Redon (French, 1840-1916), The Light of Day (Le Jour), Plate VI from "Songes", 1891,. This was exhibited in the Armory Show of 1913.
Odilon Redon (French, 1840-1916), Roger and Angelica, c. 1910, Museum of Modern Art, NY. This was exhibited in the Armory Show of 1913.
Odilon Redon, Silence, n.d., Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863-1944), Madonna, 1895-1902, , Museum of Modern Art, NY. This was exhibited in the influential Armory Show of 1913. See Expressionism and Madonna.
Maurice Denis (French, 1870-1943), Orpheus and Eurydice, 1910, Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
Aubrey Beardsley, The Dream, 1896, J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, CA.
LES NABİS
Les Nabis were a Parisian group of Post-Impressionist artists and illustrators who became very influential in the field of graphic art. Their emphasis on design was shared by the parallel Art Nouveau movement. Both groups also had close ties to the Symbolists.
The main representatives of Les Nabis were Pierre Bonnard, Maurice Denis, Ker Xavier Roussel, Felix Vallotton, and Edouard Vuillard.
Georges Lacombe, Marine bleue, Effet de vagues, 1893
Félix Vallotton, The Mistress and the Servant, 1896
Pierre Bonnard, The Dining Room in the Country, 1913, Collection Minneapolis Institute of Arts
