Welcome back to the Accessible Art History YouTube channel. For today's video, I have another edition of my art history comparison series. Personally, I love creating these videos because I find them valuable to understanding the difference between the major art movements. This time around, it's all about the differences between Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. These two movements, while similar in some aspects, did have some different goals. So, to learn more, then keep on watching. Before we dive into the differences, let's take a minute to understand the history and motivations behind each movement. In 1874, a group of artists called the Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, Printmakers, etc., organized an exhibition in Paris. We're taking a stand against the all-powerful Salon exhibition put on by the Academy des Beaux-Arts. This was considered the ultimate authority in France and even abroad throughout Europe. Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Camille Pissarro rebelled, and they wanted art to become something more democratic. Together, they organized eight exhibitions between 1874 and 1886.

Although they didn't consider themselves to be a literal group, Certix did group them together. However, the more conservative art critics rejected this new style, citing it as ugly with an unfinished quality. It's important to note that these artists did not name the movement themselves. In fact, it was given by critics after the debut of Monet's work, Impression Sunrise. Today, Impressionism remains one of the most popular art movements in history. In the late 1880s, some artists decided to break away from the popularity of the Impressionist movement. Paul Gauguin, Georges Seurat, Vincent van Gogh, and Paul Cézanne, to name a few, began to experiment with how a work of art can evoke emotion. Color played a major part in this idea, something I'll discuss later in this video. Like the Impressionists before them, these artists did not see themselves as a cohesive group or movement. However, many of them were friends, and they did bounce ideas off of each other. This is yet another way we see art trending towards a more modern

perspective, and also, like its predecessor, post-impressionism remains incredibly popular with audiences today. Alright, now that we've established some historical background, it's time to dive into the major differences between the two movements. The first one I'm going to discuss is the use of light and color. Impressionists sought to use light to manipulate their work, while post-impressionists focused more on color. Two great examples of this are Monet's Royal Cathedral series and A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Seurat. In his Cathedral series, Monet would go to the same place near the building at different times of day and at different points during the year. By creating a static setting, he could understand how the changing light would affect both the color and texture of the stone cathedral. This created different impressions for the viewer. See what he did there? Seurat, on the other hand, tried to achieve a unique effect by manipulating color. He developed a technique called pointillism, instead of brush strokes, to use dots or points of different colors close up. This

looks quite strange, but as the viewer steps back, their eyes mix the colors together, and the scene begins to unfold. All of a sudden, we see a beautiful sunny day at a Parisian park. This next difference marks the major divide between Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. The motivation behind Impressionism was to create the impression of a moment. This idea rose out of the previous period, Realism. During that time, the harsh reality of life was captured. One fantastic example of this idea is The Luncheon of the Boating Party by Renoir. Using bright light and broad brushstrokes, the artist captured the vivacity of a group of young people enjoying an outdoor lunch. This work is a snapshot of a fleeting moment in time. However, for the Post-Impressionists, their main goal was to use color that would reflect the emotion of the scene and have a viewer experience it for themselves. We can see this in The Night Café by Vincent van Gogh. This work takes place at a café in France that the artist himself even frequented.

those jarring colors and sketched-in lines make the viewer feel slightly uncomfortable. This was a deliberate choice of the artist because the cafe was frequented by people who had nowhere else to go. It's amazing what a few brush strokes can make a person feel. Although the post-impressionists are more famous for their use of color, the impressionists do have their own hallmark. For example, take Monet's water lilies. The artist chose to use light natural colors with just a hint of pastel hue. It could almost be a snapshot of what he was seeing while painting. Color was important, but it was only one element of the work. Now let's look at When Will You Marry by Gauguin. Although it takes place outside, the colors are more deep and saturated than what would be found in nature. In this case, Gauguin is using color to tell the story of his time in Tahiti. It plays a large and incredibly important role in this work. Impressionism and post-impressionism are two popular movements that started our

concept of modern art. As with all these comparison videos, I'm not trying to show that one is better than the other, simply how different styles evolve from each other. [Music] foreign

Differences between Impressionism and Post Impressionism // Art History Video

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