In 1886 and 1888, he worked in Pont-Aven in Brittany, where he and fellow artist Émile Bernard (1868–1941) worked together to develop new Cloisonnist and Synthetist techniques. Cloisonnism is where bright colors are enclosed with dark outlines, as in cloisonné enamel. Synthetism is the simplification of images using broad areas of non-naturalistic color and symbolic subject matter.
Also in 1888, Gauguin and van Gogh spent nine weeks in Arles in the south of France, but the visit ended in a disastrous quarrel. Gauguin’s restlessness then took him to Tahiti in 1891. There he began to develop his characteristic style: simplified figures, clear outlines, flattened forms, expressively bright colors, and exotic tropical settings. But, tormented by anxieties and self-doubt, he became plagued by illness, depression, and financial worries and in 1898 he attempted suicide. Although the Tahitians were already partly Westernized, Gauguin continued to produce his enigmatic depictions of native life, mainly gleaned from European textbooks. In 1901 he moved from Tahiti to the island of Dominique in the Marquesas, where his colors grew even more rich and luxuriant and his style more influenced by the art of Polynesian cultures.
Gauguin died in poverty in the Marquesas in 1903. He was barely recognized as an artist, but three years later, a huge retrospective exhibition of 227 of his paintings and engravings was held in Paris. His work and life story became greatly inspirational to younger artists and designers, and his influence continued throughout the 20th century.
Key Works
Vision after the Sermon; Jacob Wrestling with the Angel 1888, NATIONAL GALLERY OF SCOTLAND, EDINBURGH, UK
Van Gogh Painting Sunflowers 1888, RIJKSMUSEUM VINCENT VAN GOGH, AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
Parau Api (What’s New?) 1892, GEMALDEGALERIE NEUE MEISTER, DRESDEN, GERMANY
Nafea Faa ipoipo? (When Will You Marry?) 1892, KUNSTMUSEUM BASEL, BASEL, SWITZERLAND
Tahitian Landscape 1893, THE MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ARTS, MINNEAPOLIS, MN, US
VAN GOGH
1853–1890 • POST-IMPRESSIONISM, EXPRESSIONISM, SYMBOLISM
Sunflowers
1888 OIL ON CANVAS
92 × 73 CM (36¼ × 28¾ IN)
NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON, UK
This is one of four sunflower paintings that van Gogh created to welcome Gauguin to Arles. To him, the flowers signified happiness. He wrote to Theo: “I am working at it every morning from sunrise on, for the flowers fade so quickly.” Bold outlines, impasto paint and shades of yellow show the influences of Japanese art, Impressionism and Rembrandt.
Probably the best-known artist in the world, Vincent Willem van Gogh only painted for ten years of his tragic life. During that time, he produced nearly 1,000 paintings and a similar number of drawings. Although he was little appreciated while he lived, his revolutionary paintings had an enormous influence on 20th-century art.
While he was alive, van Gogh only sold one painting. Now he is generally considered the greatest Dutch artist after Rembrandt, and his life and work are inextricably intertwined. The son of an evangelical pastor, born exactly one year after a stillborn brother also called Vincent, he grew up intelligent and sensitive, but lacking in self-confidence. At 16, he was apprenticed to The Hague branch of Goupil and Co, an international picture dealer, where his uncle and younger brother, Theo, also worked. From 1872 until the end of his life Vincent corresponded regularly with Theo.
In 1873 he was sent to the London branch of Goupil’s, but after an unrequited love experience, depression overwhelmed him and he was dismissed from his job. He taught for a while in England and by the end of 1878, he was working as a missionary in the poor Borinage mining district of Belgium. However, his zealous intensity led to his dismissal once more. Remaining in Belgium, he attended formal art classes and with the encouragement of his cousin-in-law, artist Anton Mauve (1838–88), he began painting. In 1885 he painted his first major work, The Potato Eaters, a dark, thickly painted image of peasants in the Borinage. That year he went to Antwerp where he discovered Rubens and began collecting Japanese prints. In 1886 van Gogh joined Theo, who was working at Goupil’s in Paris. He studied with the painter Fernand Cormon (1845–1924), and met Pissarro, Monet, Gauguin and other forward-looking artists. Through their example, he lightened his palette and shortened his brushstrokes. Diligent and fervent, he worked all day and discussed his ideas throughout the evenings with his new acquaintances. But he was a difficult companion and in 1888 he moved to Arles in the south of France, hoping to found an artists’ colony there. His work became even brighter, as he used color and symbolism to express his feelings. He also incorporated Impressionist and Japanese Ukiyo-ē (woodblock printing) ideas.
Gauguin later joined him at Arles, but they rowed constantly. During one argument, and while experiencing an epileptic fit, van Gogh was driven to slash part of his earlobe. He committed himself to the asylum in Saint-Rémy, but he continued to experience further erratic fits of madness and lucidity. His paintings became even more striking, with rhythmic and dynamic compositions. In May 1890, he moved to Auvers-sur-Oise, where the sympathetic Dr. Gachet treated him and updated Theo, who paid the bills. Despite this help, two months later van Gogh shot himself, dying in Theo’s arms. He was 37.
Key Works
The Potato Eaters 1885, VINCENT VAN GOGH MUSEUM, AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
Café Terrace at Night 1888, RIJKSMUSEUM KRÖLLER-MÜLLER, OTTERLO, THE NETHERLANDS
The Yellow Chair 1888, NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON, UK
Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear 1889, COURTAULD INSTITUTE GALLERIES, LONDON, UK
The Starry Night 1889, MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, NEW YORK, US
SEURAT
1859–1891 • POST-IMPRESSIONISM, POINTILLISM, DIVISIONISM, NEO-IMPRESSIONISM
Bathers at Asnières
1884 OIL ON CANVAS
201 × 300 CM (79 × 118 IN)
NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON, UK
A group of factory workers takes a break by the River Seine at Asnières, an industrial suburb of Paris. This was Seurat’s first large-scale composition, before he had finalized his Pointillist technique, so it is not completely executed in dots. However, he later reworked areas of the painting with dots of contrasting colors to create a shimmering effect.
With his development of Neo-Impressionism, Georges-Pierre Seurat altered the direction of modern art. Taking the Impressionists’ preoccupation with color and light, he created a scientifically ordered and analytical system of painting whereby dots of pure color are placed side by side, enhancing their brilliance and elaborating on the color theories of the time.
Born to a wealthy Parisian family, Seurat had a short but traditional artistic training. At 16, he attended drawing classes and in 1878 he was admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts. He studied and copied the old masters in the Louvre and was strongly influenced by Rembrandt and Goya. He also visited the 1879 Impressionist exhibition. Seeing these artists’ works for the first time, he realized the possibilities of breaking away from academic tradition. While doing a year of military service, he spent his free time drawing and reading about theories of color and vision. Back in Paris, he shared a studio with two friends before moving into one of his own. He spent 1881 to 1882 producing black-and-white drawings using Conté crayon—a mixture of graphite and clay—exploring tonal contrast and soft contours.