Post Impressionism

Paul Cézanne, The Basket of Apples, c. 1893

The Development of Artistic Trends Across Eras: Post Impressionists

Post Impressionism was an art movement that began in France in the 1880s and lasted until around 1910. It developed as a response to Impressionism, which focused on light and everyday scenes. Post-Impressionists wanted to add more structure, emotion, and symbolic meaning to their work.
It wasn’t one style but a mix of approaches. Key artists like Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, and Georges Seurat built on Impressionism but moved toward abstraction, symbolism, and expression. These artists wanted to show not just what they saw, but how they felt.

Key Features of Post Impressionist Art:

• Bold, emotional use of color
• Thick paint and visible brushstrokes (like van Gogh)
• Simple, geometric shapes (seen in Cézanne)

• Distorted forms and perspective
• Symbolic or abstract content
• Pointillism – tiny dots of color (used by Seurat)

Example:

In van Gogh’s Starry Night, the swirling sky shows his emotions, not just the scenery.

Important Artists & Works:

• Paul Cézanne – Mont Sainte-Victoire, The Basket of Apples
• Vincent van Gogh – Starry Night, Sunflowers
• Paul Gauguin – The Yellow Christ, Where Do We Come From?
• Georges Seurat – A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte

These artists influenced future movements like Cubism, Fauvism, and Expressionism.

Vincent van Gogh,
The Starry Night, 1889

Popularity:	At first, critics thought Post Impressionism was too radical. Over time, it gained respect and helped shape modern art. Today, these works are highly valued, with van Gogh and Cézanne seen as major pioneers.
Period:	1880-1910
Cultural Era:	The movement was active from the 1880s to 1910, during the late Victorian era and into the early modernist period.

Artists and Works of the Post Impressionist Period

Paul Gauguin (1848–1903)

Paul Gauguin

Paul Gauguin was a French Post-Impressionist painter who broke away from Impressionism to explore deeper emotional and spiritual themes in art. He developed a style called Synthetism, which emphasized flat colour, bold outlines, and symbolic meaning over realistic detail. Influenced by travels and rural life, Gauguin often painted religious or mythic subjects in vivid, unconventional ways.
One of his key works, The Yellow Christ (1889), blends religion, symbolism, and folk culture. It shows Jesus crucified in the countryside of Brittany, surrounded by Breton women in prayer. The bright yellow figure of Christ, the flattened perspective, and the strong outlines reflect Gauguin’s move away from realism toward emotional expression.
Inspired by a local wooden crucifix, Gauguin reimagined it not just as a religious icon, but as a symbol of humble, rural faith. At the time, the painting was radical for its crude style and bold colour, but today it's seen as a powerful example of early modern art and Gauguin’s search for spiritual truth through simplicity and symbolism.

Paul Gauguin,
The Yellow Christ, 1889

Paul Cézanne (1839–1906)

Paul Cézanne

Paul Cézanne was a French Post-Impressionist painter known for his focus on structure, form, and colour. Rather than imitating nature, Cézanne believed art should be a “harmony parallel to nature,” aiming to reveal the underlying shapes and order within the world. His work laid the foundation for modern art movements like Cubism and Abstract art.
In The Basket of Apples (c. 1893), Cézanne challenges traditional perspective. The table is tilted, the lines don’t meet correctly, and the objects appear unbalanced—yet the composition feels stable and intentional. Through thick brushstrokes, bold colour, and geometric forms, Cézanne creates a sense of depth and dynamism without relying on realism.
This still life was part of a key 1895 exhibition organized by art dealer Ambroise Vollard, marking Cézanne’s first major public showing in nearly two decades. Long isolated in Provence, Cézanne’s unique vision finally reached a wider audience, earning him recognition as a pioneer and the "father of modern painting."

Paul Cézanne,
The Basket of Apples, c. 1893

BedoresGallery.com