Symbols, colors and brushstrokes
TECHNIQUES
Like works completed in the Impressionist style, most Post-Impressionist pieces feature discernible, broad brushstrokes. In addition to adding texture and a sense of depth to a work of art, these marks also point to the painterly qualities of the piece, making it clear that it is not intended to be a realistic representation of its subject. Post-Impressionist artists developed a variety of techniques in search for ways of depiction of light and color. Various painters used techniques different from each other. While Cezanne preferred large geometrical brushstrokes, Van Gogh painted primarily in small and quick brushstrokes, sometimes inclining towards Pointilism (application of paint in shape of dots of different color that create an optical illusion when perceived from a distance) like Seurat or Signac. In general, Post-Impressionists tried to make it an immersive experience for the audience but not only being immerced in the depicted scene but also beliefs and thoughts of the artist.
USE OF SHAPE AND COLOR
Unlike the Impressionists who strived to capture natural light’s affect on tonality, Post-Impressionists purposely employed an artificial color palette as a way to portray their emotion-drive perceptions of the world around them. Saturated hues, multicolored shadows, and rich ranges of color are evident in most Post-Impressionist paintings, proving the artists’ innovative and imaginative approach to representation. Experiments with shape are the most evident in Cezannes work, where he tried to create a three-dimensional picture by drawing the same subject from multiple points of view and treating surrounding him world as if those were geometrical shapes. Gauguin and his followers, especially Cloissonists experimented with two-dimensional planes of color, making the images looking sometimes like the Japanese woodcuts. Van Gogh in his experiments was shifting from earthy and natural colors to complete distortion of the objects and emphasizing the colors. Post-Impressionists chose to employ colors that would rather reflect theit thoughts on the state of object rather than its actual color or light, a feature later widely used by Fauvists.
SYMBOLISM
As Fry explained, Post-Impressionists believed that a work of art should not revolve around style, process, or aesthetic approach. Instead, it should place emphasis on symbolism, communicating messages from the artist’s own subconscious. Rather than employ subject matter as a visual tool or means to an end, Post-Impressionists perceived it as a way to convey feelings. According to Paul Cézanne, “a work of art which did not begin in emotion is not a work of art.” Extensive use of colors was supported by use of various symbols in Post-Impressionist art, which is the most obvious in Gauguin's paintings. Not only the artists chose colors to symbolize their feelings but drawing actual objects that would symbolize certain process or emotion experienced by an artist. For instance, Gauguin's famous artwork 'Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?' is full of symbols such as a white bird representing futility of words or women with a child symbolizing a beginning of life.
