Pointillism
Artistic Movements, Periods and Styles in 5 Points
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Pointillism
- Pictorial style that emerged in France in 1884, promoted by its greatest representative: Georges Seurat. The fundamental idea was to demonstrate the scientific theories about color and the way we perceive it. In short, the Pointillists scientifically delve into the concern of the Impressionists.
- The pointillists’ technique consists of applying small dots of primary colors on the canvas (instead of the Impressionists strokes or short brushstrokes). These dots, combined and observed from a certain distance, form on the retina the image and the colors desired by the artist.
- The variables of the size of the dots and the distance between them are manipulated by the artist to achieve a variety of tones. As we can imagine, it is a task that requires meticulousness and patience. It took Seurat two years to finish this painting.
- According to the pointillists, a painter can use color to create harmony and emotion in a painting, just as musicians use sound and time variations to create harmony in music.
- Another idea that relates painting to music is that, just as the eye composes colors that are not physically present, the ear relates separate sounds and interprets them as a melody. In fact, some composers would transfer the conclusions of the pointillist method to the musical field.
Representative artists: Seurat, Signac, Cross, Van Rysselberghe, Luce.
Image: A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884-86). Georges Pierre Seurat.
Recommended links:
Timeline: from Neoclassicism till the end of the 19th century.
La Société des Artistes Indépendants.
Mont Saint-Victorie (1892/1895), Cézanne.
When Will You Marry? (1892). Paul Gauguin.
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