Impressionism is one of the most striking periods in art that started in the 19th century. This period is characterized by the stylistic arts that greatly differ from the traditional manners of painting. It’s styles includes light as one of the main subjects, subtle and blurry lines, use of fanciful color combinations, and capturing of dynamic movements in the canvass (Schumann, 2012). The works in this period varies greatly from the traditional ones such that the arts reflected by the impressionist artists are real time and dynamic. Whereas the previous arts deal with static and plain perspectives, where the layers of colors are done tediously takings days to dry, the impressionists strive to captivate the outdoor scenes through the quick brush strokes, undefined lines, and colors are combined. There is a high focus on lights, shadows, and movements, where artists were expected to finish their works as quick as possible. They carry out their paintings mostly at daytime, where they captivate the scenes on their views and capture the actual scenes at that particular time.
Impressionism is derived from the art works of one of the major artist, Claude Monet. His work entitled Impression: Sunrise, done in the 1860, became the legendary source of the name of the art period. Claude Monet also served as one of the most influential artists at that time. Monet believed that first impressions are important. In capturing first impressions of objects, he has to focus on the color components of his subject, rather than noticing the object (Wilder, n.d). The works done by Monet and other artists with him such as Manet, Pissaro, Cezanne, and Zola provoked various reactions and critics from the public. Their works were not readily received by the public. They were even called as amateurs and ignorant about what art was all about. They were alienated from the traditional work of arts and were not appreciated by the public easily.
The next period that evolved after the Impressionism is the Post-impressionism. This art era is characterized by artists that rebelled against the limitations of both the traditional and impressionist works. The styles in this period are different from other periods where they are revolutionary during the 19th century. Some of the artists in this period include Paul Cezanne, Van Gogh, Gaugin, Seurat, and others. The name of the period was coined due to the Roger Fry critic of the art exhibit in 1910 entitled “Manet and the Post Impressionist” (Grisham, nd).
The art output of the works from the impressionism and post-impressionism are closely related to each other. Most of their works are the same, but there are art techniques that are unique from each other. The common style for these two periods was the focus of light on their paintings. Both periods strive to capture light, shadows, and dynamic activities through fanciful color combinations, and play of subtle lines. The artists on these periods didn’t over focus on the subjects the way traditional art did. Rather, they form their subjects even with no definite shape and lines, giving higher emphasis on the play of light on their canvass as they capture the real time moments happening around them. Post impressionist even went deeper as the artists focused on the portrayed emotions on their paintings. It was evident that there is a great influence in the post-impressionism from the art style of impressionism. Impressionism was the first bold period to deviate from the traditional art. Post impressionism continued the path of the impressionists, adding more art styles along the way (Aron, 2011).
The artists from the post-impressionist period did not work together like the artists from the impressionist period. Post-impressionist artists are independent from each other where they work on their own expressing their unique styles. However, they do exhibits for their works at the same time. The name of the art period does not necessarily pertain to the dominant art of the period since there is a diverse expression of art done individually by the artists.
The formation of the post-impressionism period is not really an intentional art movement. Rather, the period evolved from on its own, where the individual styles of the artists have been described as collectively different from the traditional art. The art styles and the expression preferences of the artists in this period were highly diverse. Moreover, these various art styles pave way to modern art styles. For instance, Expressionism was due to the influence of Vincent Van Gogh, Fauvism from Paul Gauguin, Cubism from Seurat’s pointillism, and other artists paved way to abstract, pop art, and others (Grisham, nd). The evolution of the impressionism towards post-impressionism gave way to the formation of modern art styles such as expressionis, abstract, cubism, and many more. Furthermore, these art styles were the root of the modern day photography and graphics.
Works Cited
Aron. (2011). Difference Between Impressionism and Post Impressionism. Retrieved from
[http://www. differencebetween.com/difference-between-impressionism-and-vs-post-
impressionism].
Douma, M., curator. (2006). Impressionism: The Innovation and Influence. Color Vision & Art
Retrieved from http://www.webexhibits.org/colorart/contrast.html
Grisham,K. (n.d). Post Impressionism Notes. West Valley. Retrieved from [http://instruct.
westvalley.edu/grisham/1d_postimpress.htm]
Schurman, A. (2012). Characteristics of Impression Art. Life 123, Inc. Retrieved from
[http://www.life123.com/arts-culture/art-history/impressionism].
Wilder. J.B. (n.d). The Birth of Impressionism:Manet and Monet. Art History for Dummies.
Retrieved from [http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/the-birth-of-impressionism-
manet-and-monet.html]
