The Neo-Impressionists looked to science to develop their artistic approach of contrasting diverse hues and tones to produce glistening, luminous surfaces in order to thoroughly depict the brilliance observed in nature.
By the mid-1880s, an innovative generation of creatives begandeveloping novel techniques for color, line, and form because they believed that Impressionism’s emphasis on the light play was too constrained.
Neo-Impressionism art relies on dots of complementary hues on the canvas to generate the most dazzling colors and a glistening appearance. Instead of blending colors on a palette, Neo-Impressionism artists let the viewer’s eye blend the colors.
Though Seurat was the movement’s austere and restrained theorist, Signac was its outgoing spokesman and promoter. The two individuals had a tight working relationship.
The year 1886 was a pivotal moment in the art community, as the last Impressionist display also signaled the emergence of Neo-Impressionism art with the presentation of Seurat’s freshly finished artwork.
While Seurat’s specific views are unknown, Neo-Impressionism art was always closely linked to the anarchist movement, which had a firm footing in France and the cultural world.
The publishing of Signac’s manifesto sparked a resurrection of the movement in 1898, transforming it into an international force with anarchist inclinations once again.
The trend was taken up by a few Impressionists, notably Charles Angrand and Camille Pissarro. Using the Pointillist method, Pissarro maintained the emphasis of his work on country life and peasant duties.
Théo Van Rysselberghe and other artists including Xavier Mallery, Georges Lemmen, Henry Clemens van de Velde, Willy Schloback, Alfred William Finch, and Anna Boch, practiced neo-impressionism.
Jan Toorop studied in Brussels from 1882 to 1890, when he became acquainted with the work of Signac and Seurat. He established a distinctive style that combined Divisionism art with other creative influences.
In the late 1880s, the painter and critic Vittore Grubicy de Dragon presented Divisionism art to Italian painters. Two Divisionism artworks drew the greatest attention at the First Triennale in Milan in 1891.
The Munich, Vienna, and Berlin Secessions had no manifesto and displayed the works of all contemporary trends, with Neo-Impressionism art taking center stage.
Neo-Impressionism art continued to influence individual artists and the development of art movements including Fauvism, Cubism, Art Nouveau, Orphism, Die Brücke, and Italian Futurism.