Impressionism & Post-Impressionism

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In the second half of the nineteenth century the Impressionism movement brought about an artistic revolution. During this time people were breaking away from traditional styles and standards, bringing new ways to express ideas to their society. Although, Impressionism was primarily developed in France, it was not exclusive to French artists. Expressing themselves through color and light utilization, a technique still used today, helped to create a sensation or arouse a mood that was significant to the artist. (Samu, 2004)
The term Impressionism was first officially used in 1877, and the artists of this movement were characterized as impressionists. The similar styles and methods used amongst these artists placed emphasis on the minimized appearance of brush strokes and how light falls on surfaces. The quickly painted images are composed of dots, dashes, commas, of vivid complementary colors. The separation of colors allows the eye’s perception to mix them. Some of the artists using these techniques to create a new way of visualizing the world, were Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Each artist portrayed the modernization of the world around them, creating a record from their point of view. (Samu, 2004)
Post Impressionism was established towards the end of the nineteenth century when a small group of independent artists rebelled against the limitations of Impressionism. This eclectic assembly of individuals had no unifying characteristics, except that each took an aspect of Impressionism and exaggerated it. The distinctive brush strokes and vivid colors found in Impressionism continued in Post Impressionisms art, but geometric forms, unnatural color, and a distorted form of expressive effect were emphasized. (Voorhies, 2004)
British artist and art critic Roger Fry, coined the term Post-Impressionism as he prepared for an art exhibition

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