Menu
During the Post-Impressionist art period, artists embraced subjective interpretation as a means of conveying personal emotion, perspective, and experience. Departing from the objective realism of the Impressionists, Post-Impressionist artists sought to imbue their works with deeper layers of meaning and symbolism, inviting viewers to interpret their art through their own subjective lens.
Post-Impressionist artists placed a strong emphasis on personal expression, using their art as a means of conveying their inner thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Vincent van Gogh, for example, infused his paintings with his own turbulent emotions and psychological struggles, using bold colors and expressive brushwork to convey his inner turmoil and existential angst.
Symbolism was a prominent feature of Post-Impressionist art, with artists using symbolic imagery to convey abstract concepts and deeper truths. Paul Gauguin, inspired by his travels to Tahiti and other exotic locales, incorporated symbolic motifs and mythological themes into his paintings, inviting viewers to explore the mystical and spiritual dimensions of his work.
Post-Impressionist artists often approached reality with a subjective lens, seeking to capture not just the external appearance of the world, but also its inner essence and emotional resonance. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, for instance, depicted the gritty reality of Parisian nightlife in his paintings, imbuing his scenes with a sense of intimacy and authenticity that reflected his own experiences and observations.
Post-Impressionist artists experimented with form and color to convey subjective experiences and emotions. Paul Cézanne, for example, explored the geometric simplification of natural forms, breaking down the visual world into its fundamental components to create compositions that resonated with his own sense of order and harmony.
Overall, the Post-Impressionist approach to subjective interpretation invited viewers to engage with art on a deeper level, encouraging them to bring their own experiences and perspectives to bear on the interpretation of the work. By embracing subjectivity as a means of artistic expression, Post-Impressionist artists challenged traditional notions of realism and representation, paving the way for the development of modern art in the 20th century.