Post-Impressionism

What happened

In the decades after Impressionism, artists such as Cézanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Seurat pushed beyond capturing light to use colour, pattern, and form for personal and symbolic expression. Cézanne sought underlying structure; Van Gogh charged his canvases with emotion through vivid colour and swirling brushwork.

Why it matters

The Post-Impressionists' bold, subjective use of colour and form pointed directly toward the abstraction and experimentation of 20th-century modern art.

Sources

• Tate. Post-Impressionism · Reputable source