Post Impressionism Era Of Art

Post impressionism was an era of art that took place after impressionism. Post impressionism began in the early 1880s as a response to the previous era of art, known as impressionism. The post impressionism movement was caused by young artists and critics who wanted art pieces to have more focus on the subject matter of the piece, resulting in many artists placing more emphasis on the subject. Various art styles were created in this era, such as pointillism, a technique involving the use of dots that, when viewed from of a distance, appear as a painting piece. The movement began in France before spreading all across the world. This era was also when people focused on the subject matter which came from dreams and memories, painting great works …show more content…
Gachet,” was created in 1890. It is a piece of artwork depicting his doctor and friend Paul Gachet sitting at a table and leaning his head on his right hand. There are two versions of the piece that were made by Vincent Van Gogh. The first one was the original version, and it contained many colors with a primary focus on yellow and dark gray. The second one, the version made for Paul Gachet’s collection, contained more of an emphasis on the color blue. Both pieces were created as post impressionism portrait pieces of the doctor. They were created on canvases with oil paints, like the majority of Vincent Van Gogh’s art pieces. And each piece is stylized a bit differently too. The original piece had many wavy lines all over the background and Paul Gachet’s coat. The second version also had these lines, but they were more subdued than the original version. The pieces contained a medicinal herb on the table known as a foxglove. A foxglove is an herb used to treat heart conditions. The coat on the pieces, one looking more grayish and the other more bluish, showcase one type of clothing people wore in 1890. The second piece’s coat stood out more because of the darker use of blue, while the one in the original blended into the background. And the hats are similar in color, only one has a bit more yellow than the other. The art piece, known as “Portrait of Dr. Gachet,” is a painting representing the post impressionism style of the …show more content…
It contained bold instances of the colors gray, with various small tones throughout, inside of its wavy lines. The yellowish skin color helps it to stand out from the coat and background behind it. And the green foxglove on the table also serves as a little distraction and color from the gray background. And these values serve to highlight important features, such as the face and hand Paul is resting on. These things showcase the values and colors that make such a large impact on this portrait piece.

For me, the art piece made me feel calm, yet focused. That could be attributed to the colors of the face. I believe this peace is meant to show Van Gogh’s doctor through the eyes of a man who does what he loves, even to the bitter end. It brought back a memory of a time where I was told I could do anything I wanted, so long as I was willing to fight for it. This piece reminded me to fight to do the things I love, no matter the opposition standing in my way