Post Impressionism is a term which is less easy to define than Impressionism. Though the impressionists differed in personal styles and favorite subjects, one thing which was consistent between the artists was their interest in the ransitory effects of light and spontaneous compositions. Though the postimpressionists are also concerned with ight, it is not as much of a central concern, and their personal styles differ greatly. When we look at the works of eorges Seurat, for example, it is obvious that he is concerned with the effects of light, but his compositions definitely do not evoke a sense of the spontaneous moment. First and foremost, he is noted for his invention of a method of applying paint in small dots of color. He called this method divisionism, but the term pointillism is more commonly used today. Seurat developed this method in response to his understanding of scientific theories about the rception of light and color. It had recently been discovered that light can be measured in particles as well as wavelengths. It had further been concluded that when we see the various colors of the light spectrum, our eyes perceive the various particles, but the mind mixes them into distincly different colors. Seurats paintings are a visual experiment of this idea, placing tiny dots of various colors side by side, and allowing the viewers mind mix them. When perceived up close, they are a dizzying array of vibrant colors. When seen from a distance, the image comes together in a more muted palette, for the colors which are placed side by side become mixed.

Website: http://www.eyeconart.net/