Impressionism PostImpressinism Symbolism Post Impressionism Van Gogh

Introduction to Post-Impressionism00:00:02

Post-Impressionism emerged around 1886, a time when Impressionism was finally accepted by the public. A younger generation of artists felt Impressionists were too focused on light and color. Post-Impressionists wanted to experiment with other formal elements like line, pattern, and form, and use abstraction to convey meaning and express their personal feelings about the content of their art.

Van Gogh's The Night Cafe00:03:11

Van Gogh's 'The Night Cafe' (1888) depicts a cafe where the artist aimed to create an atmosphere of ruin and madness. He achieves this through jarring complementary colors (red and green), a flattened and tilted space that creates a claustrophobic feeling, expressive impasto brushstrokes, and an off-kilter composition. These manipulated elements make the viewer feel the artist's intended tension.

The Starry Night and Artist's Expression00:07:13

Van Gogh's 'The Starry Night', painted a year before his death while he was in an asylum, is a prime example of personal expression through art. The swirling, volatile sky, rendered with thick brushstrokes, reflects his contemplative state about life, death, and the transcendental world, rather than a realistic depiction of the scene. The abstraction in the sky contrasts with the small, sleepy town below, emphasizing the artist's internal world.

Key Post-Impressionistic Traits00:08:28

Post-Impressionism emphasizes expressive use of line and color, and abstraction as a means for artists to convey their feelings and beliefs about their subject matter, rather than just objectively represent it. This makes each artist's work unique as they interpret the world in their own way.