Post-impressionism

Post-impressionism is a term applied to a painting style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Post-impression was both an extension of impressionism and a rejection of its limitations. The post-impressionists continued using vivid colours, thick application of paint, distinctive brushstrokes and real-life subject matter, but they aimed to portray more emotion and expression into their paintings.

Although they often exhibited together, they were not a cohesive movement like the impressionists. They often worked in geographically distinct areas – Van Gogh in Arles, Cezanne in Aix-en-Provence.

Their more exaggerated forms and use of colour, structure and line paved the way for later 20th century art styles such as fauvism and cubism.

Art critic Roger Fry first used the term to describe the Les Nabis group which included artists such as:

• Paul Cézanne
• Paul Gauguin
• Harry Lachman
• Henri Rousseau
• Georges Seurat
• Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
• Vincent van Gogh