PAINTING IN THE STYLE OF POST-IMPRESSIONISTS
Many Post-Impressionist artists tried to find solutions to the problems posed by Impressionism. Georges Seurat (zhorzh su-rah) felt the Impressionists' attempt to show the blurring effect of sunlight on forms was misguided. Seurat's solution was to use a technique in which small, carefully placed dots of color are used to created forms. This technique is called Pointillism (point-uh-liz-uhm). When seen from close up, a picture containing pointillism looks like a grouping of tiny dots. When the viewer stands back, however, the picture totally changes. The dots seem to blend together to create new colors and clear shapes.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
You will create a painting in the style of Seurat or one of the Post-Impressionists. Use color, line, shape, or texture in the manner of the artist you choose.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
- Pencil
- Sheet of white paper, 9 × 12 inches (23 × 30 cm)
- Tempera paint, several brushes, and mixing tray
SAFETY TIP
When an assignment calls for paints, use watercolors, liquid tempera, or school acrylics.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
- Look through the pages of a magazine or newspaper. Look for a black-and-white illustration that has an interesting design or communicates a mood.
- Using pencil, lightly redo the illustration on the sheet of white paper. Make your drawing large enough to fill the whole sheet. Keep the shapes in your drawing simple. Do not include details.
- Finish and paint your work using one of the following styles: (a) With a fine-tipped brush, cover your drawing with closely space tiny dots of paint. Use colors opposite each other on the color wheel to create new hues and intensities. In this way, your work will resemble the Pointillist style of Seurat. (b) With a medium brush, apply paint in a swirling motion, creating twisted lines and shapes. Use bright, arbitrary colors to express a certain mood or feeling. In this way, your work will look like that of van Gogh. (c) Paint your drawing as a pattern of flat, colorful shapes. Paint dark outlines around these shapes. This will give your painting the same decorative look as Gauguin's.
- When the paint is dry, display your work alongside those of classmates. See whether you can identify the Post-Impressionist style in the works of your fellow students.
Evaluating Your Work
Describe |
Hold your painting next to the illustration on which it is based. Tell whether you can identify the objects in the illustration. |
Analyze |
Explain how you used color, line, shape, and texture. Tell which Post-Impressionist artist you used as a guide in using these elements. Point to places in your work where your use of elements was similar to that of your chosen artist. |
Interpret |
State what mood or feeling, if any, you were attempting to express. Note whether others are able to pinpoint this mood or feeling. |
Judge |
Compare your work with that of the artist who served as your guide. Tell whether your painting is similar in style to that work. Show in what ways, if any, your work is different. |
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