Post-Impressionism Study

In this piece, I wanted to portray the transition from Impressionism to Post-Impressionism through the use of technique, symbols, and homage to artists. The earlier era, Impressionism, typically had more muted paintings while Post-Impressionists used wild and unlikely colors.

Take Henri Matisse for example. He was a huge advocate of this concept, as demonstrated in his painting, "Woman with a Hat" in 1905. It used unconventional colors and art critics at the time were skeptical. They compared his work to a "wild beast." This was the birth of an art movement within the Post-Impressionism era, called Fauvism. In my piece, I used his color choice and style as inspiration. Similar to my painting, I used unconventional colors for the woman's face.

Next, I looked into Edvard Munch, who was another Post-Impressionist painter. One of his most famous paintings, "The Scream," caught my eye. I noticed how the thick brushstrokes pertained to the era and also used this technique in my exploration painting. I also noticed how both Matisse and Munch were not overly concerned about realism in the face, but rather, emotion. Post-Impressionists are starting to diverge from traditional art to more Expressionist paintings, which came after.

As I was researching artists, I came across the well-known Vincent Van Gogh and his friend, Paul Gauguin. They met in Paris where they continued their artistic journey alongside each other. After a while, they parted ways with Van Gogh staying in Paris and Gauguin leaving his old life behind to search for a "paradise." Gauguin found that in the lost island of Tahiti.