Postimpressionism

Postimpressionism, term designating generally the art movements that succeeded impressionism. Initially the term was applied to the styles developed during the last two decades of the 19th century by French painters Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Georges Seurat, and by Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. Usually stressing a subjective view of the visual world, they based their painting styles on the impressionists' color innovations, but reacted against impressionism's naturalistic accuracy and its attempt to depict light.

Postimpressionists used color and form freely and expressively. Cézanne's emphasis on the geometric forms and prismatic light inherent in nature anticipated cubism. Gauguin attempted to capture folk art's pictorial boldness with flat, decorative, surface patterns, influencing French painter Henri Matisse, one of the leaders of fauvism. Van Gogh used vivid, often strident colors, presaging expressionism. Seurat painstakingly applied tiny points of pure color, which when viewed from afar appeared to blend, forming blocks of color and shadows. Toulouse-Lautrec, famous for his work in color lithography, was strongly influenced by Japanese prints.

Other 20th-century art movements, such as surrealism and futurism, as well as cubism, expressionism, and fauvism, are referred to as postimpressionist.