Home » Visual & Performing Arts » Famous Artists » Post-Impressionist Artists

Post-Impressionist Artists

© Tricia Dake

The French Impressionists held their last group show in 1882. The Impressionist movement began in 1860 with paintings such as Manet’s "Luncheon on the Grass" and culminated with such equally famous works as Monet’s "Water Lilies, Giverny." The art that was to come after has been termed Post-Impressionism, a term coined in 1910 by English critic by Roger Fry. Most of the artists of the Post-Impressionistic period would never hear the term applied to their art as they died before it came into being. This group of artists chose to go beyond Impressionism, not against it. Their styles while influenced by Impressionism varied greatly from one another. They painted with a freedom of brushstroke in vibrant bursts of creativity. It is the art from this era that built the foundation that would launch 20th Century Art. The artists of the Post-Impressionistic movement include but are not limited to:

Paul Cezanne

Georges Seurat

Vincent van Gogh

Paul Gauguin

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Paul Cezanne has been referred to as the father of modern painting. It is the geometrical angles of his paintings that inspired the Cubist movement led by Picasso and Braque. Cezanne’s art was colorful and focused not on subject but on form and spatial qualities. Like many artists, his art received only moderate recognition until after his death.

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/ftptoc/...

Georges Seurat is known best for his work in Pointillism, which is often classed as Neo-Impressionism. His myriad colored dots create airy scenes of tranquillity and beauty. His style, initially rejected by critics, was ultimately heralded and copied by others.

http://www.artic.edu/aic/artaccess/AA_Im...

Vincent van Gogh’s art was an inspiration for Expressionism. His swirling paintings embody the energy and chaotic aspects of life itself. The turbulence of his art was reflected in his own life and the two remain inseparable in any in-depth study of the artist. His most famous work is “Starry Night.”

http://www.vangoghgallery.com/

Paul Gauguin is best remembered for his paintings of the South Seas tropical paradise. Gauguin found inspiration from both primitive art and Asian art. Gauguin’s artistic experimentation in color would prove to be a lead-in to Fauvism. His life was contradictory in many ways causing him to lose both his family and financial security, but his devotion to art remains unquestioned.

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/ftptoc/...

Henri de Toulouse Lautrec was born of a wealthy family yet because of his physical deformities chose to make his life among the nightclubs and brothels of Paris. His family didn’t understand his desire to pursue art professionally, yet were willing to allow him what they considered an eccentricity. His art creatively depicts an era in Parisian history. Toulouse-Lautrec didn’t glorify his subjects, but rather showed their darker unhappy characteristics. His lithographs advertising nightclub events may well have influenced modern movie posters.

The copyright of the article Post-Impressionist Artists in Famous Artists is owned by Tricia Dake. Permission to republish Post-Impressionist Artists in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.