Post-Impressionism, rather than focusing on using color to represent emotion, simply was a form of self-expression. A famous post-impressionist painter was Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890).
Few people knew Van Gogh in his lifetime. Most of those who did thought his paintings were awful. Towards the end of his life, Van Gogh started to go insane. He even cut off part of his own ear, and finally died from a gunshot that was believed to be self-inflicted. He was thirty seven years old. Even while he was mad, he painted many famous works. These works were not famous in his lifetime at all, which seems surprising because everyone knows him now. Most people will picture his painting when they hear, "Starry Night." That painting is first on the right. After he died, as his paintings were sold to where the newest art movements caught up with them, and they became famous for their abstract expression of the world. The second painting, called "Sunflowers," is also by Van Gogh. Vincent Van Gogh used a technique called "impasto." That is the thick layering of paint onto a canvas, so brush strokes are easily visible. Additionally, paint can sometimes be mixed right on the canvas because of the large quantities that are being put onto the canvas. The third picture shown on the right is a close up of the impasto technique. Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) never received any formal art training. He was kind of wild, and referred to himself as a savage. He claimed to have Inca blood. He was a friend of Van Gogh, probably because they had a similar style. However, this ended with Van Gogh's insanity when he tried to attack Gauguin with a razor. Gauguin liked exotic environments, and spent a lot of time painting in Tahiti. The painting on the right, "Spirit of the Dead Watching," depicts a Tahitian girl fearful of a deathly spirit. Gauguin was so poor that that painting is painted on burlap instead of canvas. The fifth image, also by Gauguin, is titled "The Yellow Christ." It shows how Gauguin liked to use bold colors in his work, as well as distinct outlines. Gauguin, like Van Gogh, was not rich or famous. He thought that his picture of the Tahitian girl and the spirit would be accepted by the modern art movement and sell well, but in fact it barely financed him. He died poor, and it was only after his death that the art movement caught on and his painting sold. Later, his art would influence Matisse and Picasso, and become famous. |