Understanding Post-Impressionism in 4 Minutes

Origin

Post-Impressionism, also known as "after Impressionism" or simply "Post Impressionism," is a significant artistic phenomenon in French art history that emerged after Impressionism.

This movement’s main idea is that it disagrees with Impressionists and Neo-Impressionists. Those artists only focused on showing light and shadow exactly as they are, and they cared too much about small, broken bits of outdoor colors and light.

Instead, it emphasizes a return to the creator's subjective emotions and a rediscovery of the inherent "reality" of things. In their art, they focused on creating clear shapes. They used lines, color blocks, 3D forms, and flat surfaces as key tools to make their paintings, and they shared similar artistic styles.

The word "Post-Impressionism" describes artists like Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, and Paul Gauguin, and their ways of painting.

A British art critic named Roger Fry (1866–1934) invented the term "Post-Impressionism" in 1911. He once led the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In simple words, these three artists got this "Post-Impressionist" label only after they passed away.

For many years before that, people in France didn’t tell them apart from Impressionist painters. It was not until later that this term was used to show their special artistic style.

Even though Cézanne showed his paintings with Impressionist artists for most of his life, "Post-Impressionism" is still the right word to describe him, Van Gogh, and Gauguin. Their artistic concepts and practices did indeed differ totally from those of the Impressionists.

Style

Post-Impressionism basically refers to the art ideas and paintings of three artists: Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, and Paul Gauguin.

All three started out deeply influenced by Impressionism. Cézanne and Gauguin showed their works in Impressionist art shows. Van Gogh didn’t join those shows, but he always thought of himself as an Impressionist.

As they kept creating, they slowly moved beyond what Impressionism could do. They believed painting shouldn’t just copy the world as it is. Instead, it should share how the artist personally feels and understands things.

While sharing common creative inclinations, each possessed a distinct artistic personality:

• Cézanne dedicated his life to pursuing eternal forms and solid pictorial structures. He made his paintings feel heavy, solid, and steady. In the end, he simplified his works and used simple shapes like circles and squares. This made him a leader of Cubism and Abstract Expressionism.
• Gauguin wanted artists to stop just copying what they saw. Instead, he said they should paint from memory and imagination. He liked art that combined ideas and used symbols. His later paintings, made in Tahiti, had strong "primitive" (simple, ancient) styles—this is what Roger Fry called "primitivism" in his writing.
• Van Gogh’s unique way of painting came from mixing Expressionism, Neo-Impressionism, and Japanese Ukiyo-e prints with his own personality. It’s a great example of Eastern and Western art coming together. His works show his feelings and personality very clearly. This strong way of expressing himself also influenced German Expressionism later on.

Outstanding Achievements

1. Innovative Breakthroughs in Artistic Expression

Cézanne moved beyond the Impressionists’ focus on just copying light and shadow. He put his own feelings and ideas into his paintings, making art a way to “express himself” instead of just a picture of the world.

He also cared a lot about how his paintings were structured and how they looked. Cézanne used simple shapes (like circles or squares) in his work. Van Gogh used strong, bold brushstrokes, and Gauguin used symbols to show ideas. Together, these new ways of painting changed how art was made.

2. Profound Influence on Later Art

Cézanne directly inspired modern art styles like Cubism, Expressionism, and Abstract Expressionism. He’s a key figure in art history—connecting old art traditions to new ones.

He also broke the old idea that "art has to look exactly like real life." Instead, Cézanne showed that art can share an artist’s personal feelings and explore new forms. This opened up more possibilities for what art could be.

3. The Enduring Appeal of His Works

Their works are full of strong feelings and eye-catching power. Van Gogh used bright, lively colors, Gauguin’s paintings had a simple, natural beauty, and Cézanne’s works felt calm and well-organized. Even today, these paintings still touch people all over the world.

They mixed different cultures with their own styles. For example, Van Gogh borrowed ideas from Japanese Ukiyo-e prints. His works have the bold energy of Western art and the gentle beauty of Eastern art—they’re deep and open to different influences at the same time.

Outstanding Works

Paul Cézanne

• Mont Sainte-Victoire: He painted mountains and fields using simple shapes (like circles and squares). The picture feels solid and steady, showing his search for "forever forms" in art.
• Still Life with Apples and Basket: He made the fruit and things in the painting look simpler. He used different layers of color to make them look 3D. This painting helped lead the way for the Cubist art style.

Vincent van Gogh

• The Starry Night: He used twisty, swirly brushstrokes and bright, strong colors—like blue and yellow next to each other. These show his intense feelings and love for nature, making the painting really eye-catching and powerful.
• Sunflowers: The flowers have bright yellow petals. The artist used thick, bold brushstrokes to paint them—this makes the flowers look full of life and energy. It also shows how much the painter loved life.

Paul Gauguin

• Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?: He painted the lives of people from Tahiti using symbols (simple images that stand for bigger ideas). The bright, rich colors make the painting feel like a simple, natural poem—and it also makes people think about big life questions.
• Jacob Struggling with the Angel: He made the people in the painting look simple (not detailed). He used big, bold color blocks to show the excitement and drama of the religious story. This fits with the art idea of "synthetic symbolism"—using simple shapes and symbols to share big ideas.