Pointillism
Pointillism
Pointillism
Detail from Seurat's La Parade de Cirque (1889), showing the contrasting dots of
paint used in Pointillism
Pointillism /pntlzm/ is a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of
color are applied in patterns to form an image. Georges Seurat and Paul Signac
developed the technique in 1886, branching from Impressionism. The term
"Pointillism" was first coined by art critics in the late 1880s to ridicule the works of
these artists, and is now used without its earlier mocking connotation.[1] The
movement Seurat began with this technique is known as Neo-Impressionism. The
Divisionists, too, used a similar technique of patterns to form images, though with
larger cube-like brushstrokes.[2]
Contents [hide]
1
Technique
Practice
Music
Notable artists
Notable paintings
Gallery
See also
References
External links
Technique[edit]
The technique relies on the ability of the eye and mind of the viewer to blend the
color spots into a fuller range of tones. It is related to Divisionism, a more technical
variant of the method. Divisionism is concerned with color theory, whereas
pointillism is more focused on the specific style of brushwork used to apply the
Paul Signac, Femmes au Puits, 1892, showing a detail with constituent colors. Muse
d'Orsay, Paris
If red, blue, and green light (the additive primaries) are mixed, the result is
something close to white light (see Prism (optics)). Painting is inherently
subtractive, but Pointillist colors often seem brighter than typical mixed subtractive
colors. This may be partly because subtractive mixing of the pigments is avoided,
and partly because some of the white canvas may be showing between the applied
dots.[4]
The painting technique used for Pointillist color mixing is at the expense of the
traditional brushwork used to delineate texture.[4]
The majority of Pointillism is done in oil paints. Anything may be used in its place,
but oils are preferred for their thickness and tendency not to run or bleed.[5]
Music[edit]
Pointillism also refers to a style of 20th-century music composition. Different
musical notes are made in seclusion, rather than in a linear sequence, giving a
sound texture similar to the painting version of Pointillism.[6] This type of music is
also known as punctualism or klangfarbenmelodie.
Notable artists[edit]
Camille Pissarro, 1888, La Rcolte des pommes, oil on canvas, 61 x 74 cm, Dallas
Museum of Art
Paul Signac, 1901, L'Hirondelle Steamer on the Seine, oil on canvas, National
Gallery in Prague
Henri Edmond Cross, 1903-04, Regatta in Venice, oil on canvas, 73.7 x 92.7 cm,
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Jean Metzinger, c.1906, Femme au Chapeau (Woman with a Hat), oil on canvas, 44.8
x 36.8 cm, Korban Art Foundation
Hippolyte Petitjean, 1919, Femmes au bain, oil on canvas, 61.1 46 cm, private
collection
See also[edit]
Divisionism
Micromontage, similar technique in music
Neo-impressionism
Punctualism (music)
Stippling
References[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b "Pointillism." Artcyclopedia. Artists by Movement. John
Malyon/Artcyclopedia, 2007. Web.
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/history/pointillism.html
Jump up ^ Ruhrberg, Karl. "Seurat and the Neo-Impressionists". Art of the 20th
Century, Vol. 2. Koln: Benedikt Taschen Verlag, 1998. ISBN 3822840890.
Jump up ^ "makeyourideasart.com". Retrieved 25 September 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b c Vivien Greene, Divisionism, Neo-Impressionism: Arcadia &
Anarchy, Guggenheim Museum Publications, 2007, ISBN 0892073578
Jump up ^ Nathan, Solon. "Pointillism Materials." Web. 9 Feb 2010.
http://www.si.umich.edu/chico/emerson/pntmat.html
Jump up ^ Britannica - The Online Encyclopedia http://www.britannica.com/
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pointillism.
Georges Seurat, 1859-1891, a fully digitized exhibition catalog from The
Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries
Signac, 1863-1935, a fully digitized exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan
Museum of Art Libraries
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Art movements
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Post-Impressionism
Categories: Artistic techniquesPost-ImpressionismPointillismPainting techniques
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