Post-Impressionism
A predominantly French art movement reacting against Impressionism's naturalism, developing roughly between 1886 and 1905.
Post-Impressionism (sometimes written as Postimpressionism) was an art movement that took shape mainly in France, spanning from around 1886 to 1905—starting with the final Impressionist exhibition and ending just before Fauvism appeared. It grew out of a pushback against the Impressionists' focus on capturing light and color in a naturalistic way. Instead, the movement leaned toward abstract qualities or symbolic meaning, and it included several distinct groups: Les Nabis, Neo-Impressionism, Symbolism, Cloisonnism, the Pont-Aven School, and Synthetism, as well as some later works by Impressionists. The key figures were Paul Cézanne (often called the father of Post-Impressionism), Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, and Georges Seurat.
The term "Post-Impressionism" first appeared in 1906, used by art critic Roger Fry. In a review of the Salon d'Automne published in *Art News* on October 15, 1910, critic Frank Rutter referred to Othon Friesz as a "post-impressionist leader"; that same journal also carried an advertisement for an exhibition called *The Post-Impressionists of France*. Three weeks later, Roger Fry employed the term again when he organized the 1910 show *Manet and the Post-Impressionists*, describing it as the evolution of French art since Édouard Manet.
Post-Impressionists built on Impressionism while rejecting its limits: they kept using vivid colors, sometimes applying paint thickly (impasto), and often worked from life, but they placed greater emphasis on geometric forms, distorted shapes for expressive effect, and used unnatural or altered colors.
**Overview**
Post-Impressionists felt that Impressionist paintings were too trivial in subject matter and lacked structure, though they disagreed on how to move forward. Georges Seurat and his followers turned to pointillism, a methodical technique of applying tiny dots of color. Paul Cézanne aimed to bring order and structure back to painting, seeking to "make of Impressionism something solid and durable, like the art of the museums." He did this by simplifying objects into basic shapes while keeping the rich colors of Impressionism. The Impressionist Camille Pissarro experimented with Neo-Impressionist ideas from the mid-1880s to the early 1890s. Unhappy with what he called romantic Impressionism, he explored pointillism—which he termed scientific Impressionism—before returning to a purer Impressionism in his final decade. Vincent van Gogh often used intense color and bold brushstrokes to express his emotions and mental state.
Although these artists frequently exhibited together, they did not form a unified movement. Still, for all of them, abstract concerns like harmony and structural arrangement took priority over naturalism. Artists such as Seurat took a meticulously scientific approach to color and composition.
**Defining Post-Impressionism**
The term was used in 1906 and again in 1910 by Roger Fry for an exhibition of modern French painters titled *Manet and the Post-Impressionists*, held at the Grafton Galleries in London. Three weeks before Fry's show, Frank Rutter had already used "Post-Impressionist" in print in *Art News* on October 15, 1910, in a review of the Salon d'Automne where he called Othon Friesz a "post-impressionist leader"; an advertisement for the exhibition *The Post-Impressionists of France* also appeared in the journal.
Most artists in Fry's exhibition were younger than the Impressionists. Fry later explained: "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." In his pioneering book *Post-Impressionism: From Van Gogh to Gauguin* (1956), John Rewald limited the movement to the years between 1886 and 1892. He saw this as a continuation of his 1946 study *History of Impressionism* and noted that a follow-up volume, *Post-Impressionism: From Gauguin to Matisse*, would cover the second half of the period. That volume was meant to extend the scope to other movements derived from Impressionism, but only those from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Rewald focused on early Post-Impressionists active in France, such as van Gogh, Gauguin, Seurat, and Redon, exploring their relationships and the artistic circles they moved in (or opposed). These circles included:
- **Neo-Impressionism**: mocked by contemporary critics and artists as Pointillism; Seurat and Signac preferred other terms, such as Divisionism. - **Cloisonnism**: a short-lived term introduced in 1888 by critic Édouard Dujardin to promote the work of Louis Anquetin, later also applied to works by his friend Émile Bernard. - **Synthetism**: another short-lived term coined in 1889 to distinguish recent works by Gauguin and Bernard from those of more traditional Impressionists exhibiting with them at the Café Volpini. - **Pont-Aven School**: a loose label for artists who had worked in Pont-Aven or elsewhere in Brittany. - **Symbolism**: a term welcomed by avant-garde critics in 1891, when Gauguin dropped Synthetism after being hailed as the leader of Symbolism in painting.
Rewald also planned a second volume that would include Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri Rousseau "le Douanier", Les Nabis, Cézanne, the Fauves, the young Picasso, and Gauguin's final trip to the South Seas, extending the period into the first decade of the 20th century—but that volume remained unfinished.
**Reviews and adjustments**
Rewald wrote that "the term 'Post-Impressionism' is not a very precise one, though a very convenient" label.
- field
- Visual arts
- nationality
- Predominantly French
- known_for
- Reaction against Impressionists' concern for the naturalistic depiction of light
- principal_artists
- Paul Cézanne (known as the father of Post-Impressionism), Paul Gauguin, Vincent
Lore & Background
The Post-Impressionists were dissatisfied with what they felt was the triviality of subject matter and the loss of structure in Impressionist paintings, though they did not agree on the way forward. Georges Seurat and his followers concerned themselves with pointillism, the systematic use of tiny dots of colour. Paul Cézanne set out to restore a sense of order and structure to painting, to 'make of Impressionism something solid and durable, like the art of the museums'. He achieved this by reducing objects to their basic shapes while retaining the saturated colours of Impressionism. The Impressionist Camille Pissarro experimented with Neo-Impressionist ideas between the mid-1880s and the early 1890s. Discontented with what he referred to as romantic Impressionism, he investigated pointillism, which he called scientific Impressionism, before returning to a purer Impressionism in the last decade of his life. Vincent van Gogh often used vibrant colour and conspicuous brushstrokes to convey his feelings and his state of mind. Although they often exhibited together, Post-Impressionist artists were not in agreement concerning a cohesive movement. Yet, the abstract concerns of harmony and structural arrangement, in the work of all these artists, took precedence over naturalism. Artists such as Seurat adopted a meticulously scientific approach to colour and composition.
Reader's Guide
The term Post-Impressionism was first used by art critic Roger Fry in 1906. Critic Frank Rutter in a review of the Salon d'Automne published in Art News, 15 October 1910, described Othon Friesz as a 'post-impressionist leader'; there was also an advert for the show The Post-Impressionists of France. Three weeks later, Roger Fry used the term again when he organised the 1910 exhibition Manet and the Post-Impressionists, defining it as the development of French art since Édouard Manet. Fry later explained: '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.' Post-Impressionists extended Impressionism while rejecting its limitations: they continued using vivid colours, sometimes using impasto (thick application of paint) and painting from life, but were more inclined to emphasize geometric forms, distort form for expressive effect, and use unnatural or modified colour. Post-Impressionism encompasses Les Nabis, Neo-Impressionism, Symbolism, Cloisonnism, the Pont-Aven School, and Synthetism, along with some later Impressionists' work.
Did You Know?
- The term 'Post-Impressionism' was first used by art critic Roger Fry in 1906.
- Critic Frank Rutter described Othon Friesz as a 'post-impressionist leader' in Art News on 15 October 1910.
- Roger Fry deliberately chose the name because it was 'the vaguest and most non-committal' option, merely stating the artists' position in time relative to Impressionism.
- The Impressionist Camille Pissarro experimented with pointillism between the mid-1880s and early 1890s, calling it 'scientific Impressionism' before returning to a purer Impressionism.
- The term 'Cloisonnism' was introduced in 1888 by art critic Édouard Dujardin to promote the work of Louis Anquetin.
Origins and Defining Aesthetic
Post-Impressionism emerged as a reaction against Impressionists' concern for the naturalistic depiction of light and colour. Its broad emphasis on abstract qualities or symbolic content means Post-Impressionism encompasses Les Nabis, Neo-Impressionism, Symbolism, Cloisonnism, the Pont-Aven School, and Synthetism, along with some later Impressionists' work. Post-Impressionists extended Impressionism while rejecting its limitations: they continued using vivid colours, sometimes using impasto (thick application of paint) and painting from life, but were more inclined to emphasize geometric forms, distort form for expressive effect, and use unnatural or modified colour. The Post-Impressionists were dissatisfied with what they felt was the triviality of subject matter and the loss of structure in Impressionist paintings, though they did not agree on the way forward. The abstract concerns of harmony and structural arrangement, in the work of all these artists, took precedence over naturalism.
Four Pioneers, Four Visions
The movement's principal artists were Paul Cézanne (known as the father of Post-Impressionism), Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh and Georges Seurat. Paul Cézanne set out to restore a sense of order and structure to painting, to 'make of Impressionism something solid and durable, like the art of the museums'. He achieved this by reducing objects to their basic shapes while retaining the saturated colours of Impressionism. Georges Seurat and his followers concerned themselves with pointillism, the systematic use of tiny dots of colour. Artists such as Seurat adopted a meticulously scientific approach to colour and composition. Vincent van Gogh often used vibrant colour and conspicuous brushstrokes to convey his feelings and his state of mind. Although they often exhibited together, Post-Impressionist artists were not in agreement concerning a cohesive movement.
Naming a Movement: Fry, Rutter, and the Critics
The term Post-Impressionism was first used by art critic Roger Fry in 1906. Critic Frank Rutter in a review of the Salon d'Automne published in Art News, 15 October 1910, described Othon Friesz as a 'post-impressionist leader'; there was also an advert for the show The Post-Impressionists of France. Three weeks later, Roger Fry used the term again when he organised the 1910 exhibition Manet and the Post-Impressionists, defining it as the development of French art since Édouard Manet. Fry later explained: '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.'
A Constellation of Sub-Movements
Post-Impressionism encompasses Les Nabis, Neo-Impressionism, Symbolism, Cloisonnism, the Pont-Aven School, and Synthetism, along with some later Impressionists' work. Neo-Impressionism: ridiculed by contemporary art critics as well as artists as Pointillism; Seurat and Signac would have preferred other terms: Divisionism for example. Cloisonnism: a short-lived term introduced in 1888 by the art critic Édouard Dujardin, was to promote the work of Louis Anquetin, and was later also applied to contemporary works of his friend Émile Bernard. Synthetism: another short-lived term coined in 1889 to distinguish recent works of Gauguin and Bernard from that of more traditional Impressionists exhibiting with them at the Café Volpini. Pont-Aven School: implying little more than that the artists involved had been working for a while in Pont-Aven or elsewhere in Brittany. Symbolism: a term highly welcomed by vanguard critics in 1891, when Gauguin dropped Synthetism as soon as he was acclaimed to be the leader of Symbolism in painting. The Impressionist Camille Pissarro experimented with Neo-Impressionist ideas between the mid-1880s and the early 1890s. Discontented with what he referred to as romantic Impressionism, he investigated pointillism, which he called scientific Impressionism, before returning to a purer Impressionism in the last decade of his life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Post-Impressionism?
Post-Impressionism is a predominantly French visual-art movement born in the late 19th century as a deliberate pushback against Impressionism's fixation on naturalistic light and colour. Rather than capturing a fleeting optical moment, it championed geometric structure, emotional distortion, and layered symbolic meaning.
What are Post-Impressionism's powers/role?
The movement's signature strengths are its bold use of geometric forms, expressive distortion of figures and space, and rich symbolic content. Where Impressionism asked 'what does the eye see?', Post-Impressionism asked 'what does the mind and heart need to feel?'
Why is Post-Impressionism important?
It is widely regarded as the critical bridge between 19th-century naturalism and the abstract, expressionist directions of the 20th century. By prioritising structure, emotion, and symbol over optical fidelity, it opened the door for virtually every major modernist movement that followed.
Who are Post-Impressionism's main characters?
The four principal figures most associated with the movement are Paul Cézanne (often called its father), Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, and Georges Seurat. Each contributed a distinct flavour: Cézanne's geometry, Gauguin's symbolism, van Gogh's expressive brushwork, and Seurat's systematic pointillist colour theory.
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