Post Impressionism Analysis

The term Post-impressionism is used to describe late 19th century art that rejects the “capture-the-fleeting-moment” attitude of Impressionism and is characterized by bright colors and defined brushstrokes as opposed to the impasto approach of impressionists. Impasto is a technique in which paint is applied so thick onto the canvas that it stands out from the surface, creating a 3-D texture effect. The paint can be mixed on the canvas to achieve a desired color. One distinguishing factor of a post-impressionist artwork is the clear defined lines used in the creation of the artwork. Another being Post-Impressionists of the time strove to include more expression and emotion in their paintings. Despite these differences, Impressionism and Post-impressionism share some similarities. A real life subject, distinctive brushstrokes, thick layers of paint and vivid colors are all characteristics of both styles of art. (1) In The Pine Tree at St. Tropez, Paul Signac seems to be able to draw from Seurat’s pointillism and combine Monet’s vibrant color palette to create an artistic style that is one-of-a-kind. Signac places his subject in the center of the canvas which is creating a decisive dividing line down the center. The sloping
It was through French poets such as Charles Baudelaire and Paul Verlane, whose aim was to avoid the limitations of reality by injecting symbolism into their poetry, that visual symbolism in paintings was able to flourish. It was also during this time that new psychological concepts of consciousness, unconsciousness, and subconsciousness were introduced by psychologist Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Henri Rousseau was actually not a painter. At least, not in the academically trained sense. He was a customs officer and amateur painter that begin painting during middle age. (1) Rousseau’s paintings are wildly imaginative, inspired by these new psychological themes and often featured exotic