Project 2 | Post-Impressionism

About

Post-impressionism is a Western art movement that began in 1886. The movement acted like a sort of continuation of Impressionism, with its goal to skirt the limitations of the previous art movement in order to create something new. Most of the painters that would influence the Post-Impressionist movement, such as painters like like Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin and Paul Cézanne, would start off their careers as Impressionist painters. They would then would work beyond the limits of the art movement, creating individual and unique art styles. Post-Impressionism is most notable for its bright use of color, traditional use of their subjects, and defining form through small brush strokes and broken color.

Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh was born on March 30, 1863 in Zundert, Netherlands. While considered one of the greatest painters in history, he unfortuntately only found fame after his untimely death.

At the age of 27, Van Gogh decided to pursue a career as a painter and created nearly 900 paintings in his lifetime. He left the Netherlands to further his career in France, where he saw the works of prominent Impressionists and took inspiration from them by lightening their colour palettes and using the same brush strokes that were present in their paintings.

Throughout his career, Van Gogh had numerous breakdowns caused by his unstable mental health, leading him to have frequent hospital stays. It didn't help by the fact that he was mostly pennyless throughout his career, with his paintings being mocked and direguarded by the general public. By 1889, Van Gogh committed himself to a mental asylum out of fear of expericing another mental breakdown. He produced 150 paintings during his stay at the asylum. His inspiration for his paintings during this time came from his confinement, with him painting the corridors of the asylum, the Irisis and lilacs he saw from outside the window of his spare room that was given to him in the asylum to act as his art studio.

Van Gogh left the asylum in May 1890 to settle in Auvers-sur-Oise. 2 months later, the painter would shoot himself in the chest in a wheat field, and died two days later.

Shortly after his death, his work started gaining critical acclaim. Between 1888-1890, his painting were featured at both the Salon des Indépendants in Paris and Les XX in Brussels. In 1890, articles were being written about him, praising his style and artistic vision. By the outbreak of World War I, Van Gogh had established himself as an iconic figure in the modern art movement.

Read more here!

Gallery