Post-Impressionism and Van Gogh The Incomparable...

Visual opulence, creativity, inimitable vision, and a style that is highly influential are the many characteristics of an admired movement in art history called Post-Impressionism (1875-1892). This movement, which was the by-product of the Impressionism movement, is the bridging gap between the two movements known as Realism and Expressionism. Post-Impressionism takes on some of the stylistic characteristics of these movements; however, it does not contain the all too glossy visuals of Realism or the heavily fantastic visuals of Expressionism, rather it is the intermediary of these two poles. My paper will discuss why this link was absolutely essential to the history of art movements, and I will be specifically using the artworks of†¦show more content†¦Nonetheless, over time, it became universally lauded as one of the seminal movements in art history. According to David W. Galenson and Bruce A. Weinberg in their article, Creating Modern Art: The Changing Careers of Painters in France from Impressionism to Cubism, the goal of the Post-Impressionism artists was to symbolize, rather than describe nature. Therefore, this in turn, allowed them to use more innovating techniques to express their emotions rather than just being an observer. Gauguin and van Gogh were particularly zealous about using their emotional state to convey the content and symbolism of their paintings. A quote taken directly from Galenson’s and Weinberg’s article perfectly describes this attitude of emotion, rather than observation, as the key artistic foundation for Post-Impressionistic artists: â€Å"Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin drew their inspiration from emotions. Van Gogh declared that instead of trying to reproduce what I have before my eyes I use color more arbitrarily in order to express myself forcibly, whereas Gauguin advised a fellow painter: Go on working, freely and furiously, you will make progress.... A strong emotion can be translated immediately† (Maurice Malingue, qtd. in Galenson and Weinberg_2). Consequently, this notion of an imposing vision creates the truly compelling, haunting artworks of Post-Impressionism; particularly in the works of the artist, who needs no