Pointillism

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Main article: Neo-impressionism

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

paint.[1] It is a technique with few serious practitioners today,[3] and is notably

seen in the works of Seurat, Signac and Cross. However, see also Andy Warhol's
early works, and Pop Art.

Paul Signac, Femmes au Puits, 1892, showing a detail with constituent colors. Muse
d'Orsay, Paris

Henri-Edmond Cross, L'air du soir, c.1893, Muse d'Orsay

Practice[edit]
The practice of Pointillism is in sharp contrast to the traditional methods of blending
pigments on a palette. Pointillism is analogous to the four-color CMYK printing
process used by some color printers and large presses that place dots of Cyan
(blue), Magenta (red), Yellow, and Key (black). Televisions and computer monitors
use a similar technique to represent image colors using Red, Green, and Blue (RGB)
colors.[4]

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]

Vincent van Gogh, Self Portrait, 1887, using pointillist technique.

Maximilien Luce, Morning, Interior, 1890, using pointillist technique.

Charles Angrand
Chuck Close
Henri-Edmond Cross
Henri Delavalle
Albert Dubois-Pillet
Louis Fabien (pseudonym)
Georges Lemmen
Maximilien Luce
Camille Pissarro
John Roy
Georges Seurat
Paul Signac
Vincent van Gogh
Tho van Rysselberghe
Hippolyte Petitjean
Jan Toorop
Notable paintings[edit]
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat
Bathing at Asnieres by Georges Seurat

The Windmills at Overschie by Paul Signac

Banks of Seine by Georges Seurat
A Coastal Scene by Tho van Rysselberghe
Family in the Orchard by Tho van Rysselberghe
Countryside at Noon by Tho van Rysselberghe
Afternoon at Pardigon by Henri-Edmond Cross
Rio San Trovaso, Venice by Henri-Edmond Cross
The Seine in front of the Trocadero by Henri-Edmond Cross
The Pine Tree at St. Tropez by Paul Signac
Against the Enamel of Background Rhythmic with Beats and Angels by Paul Signac
The Yellow Sail, Venice by Paul Signac
Notre Dame Cathedral by Maximilien Luce
Le Pont De Pierre, Rouen by Charles Angrand
The Beach at Heist by Georges Lemmen
Aline Marechal by Georges Lemmen
Vase of Flowers by Georges Lemmen
Gallery[edit]

Georges Lemmen, c.1891-92, The Beach at Heist, Muse d'Orsay Paris

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

Robert Delaunay, 1906, Portrait de Metzinger, oil on canvas, 55 x 43 cm

Ren Schtzenberger, 1911, La Coiffure, oil on canvas, 121 91 cm

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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Post-Impressionism
Categories: Artistic techniquesPost-ImpressionismPointillismPainting techniques
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