Post-Impressionism

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I particularly like the artwork that arose during the post-impressionism era between 1885 -1910. This time period was considered to be a revolt against classic impressionism. The artwork created was characterized by bright colour and sharp or outlined edge work. The artists worked to create pieces with a more powerful and influential symbolism and emotion. The number of colours used in their paintings was dramatically simplified, resulting in borderline abstract work.

         Personally, I’m intrigued by the large brush stroke work because it creates an interesting texture in the subject matter, whether it is a landscape painting or figurative and everything in between. Though the colour pallet is much more limited, it does not take away from the work. If anything it adds to the skill in which these painters were able to perform. I can see how easily it would be to fall into the abstract side of things when using large brush strokes and only a few colours, but many artists were able to distinguish this and work to keep their paintings realistic. Not that abstract was ‘less desirable,’ because one of my favourite artists uses realistic images and adds a touch of his own style, creating an almost abstract work of art. This artist is Vincent Van Gogh. 

         Looking at Van Gogh’s work, I see the connection in many of his paintings. He liked to use curved line work to create movement and interest in his work. He also used large brush strokes and limited colour as many of the artists during the post-impressionism period. It is evident that Van Gogh’s favourite colour to work with was yellow. Every shade, every variation he could create. 

I am particularly attracted to this because my favourite colour of the pallet happens to be yellow as well. There is something about this colour that I always found to be capable of portraying both a light and heavy feeling. It truly is a diverse colour and depending on how it is used, it can create a happy, excited feeling, or a mellow, unsure feeling. Van Gogh exhibits the trends of this time period with great skill and passion. His emotions are seen through his work, in both the scenic paintings and the many self-portraits he created. This is essentially why I appreciate his work to such a degree.

Source Images

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Vincent_van_Gogh_%281853-1890%29_-_Wheat_Field_with_Crows_%281890%29.jpg

http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/image/0627/Self-Portrait.jpg

http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/the-starry-night-vincent-van-gogh.jpg