Also called Neo-Impressionism or Divisionism, Pointillism emerged in the 19th century after the Impressionist period and thanks to the impetus of Georges Seurat and his contemporary Paul Signac.

But what does this somewhat simplistic name actually mean? Read on to discover the particularities behind this technique and the great artists who made it popular.

The birth of pointillism

In 1886 the word "pointillism" appeared for the first time in a review by the art critic Arsène Alexandre. But what is Pointillism really about?

Pointillism is nothing more than a technique where the artist precisely applies individual dots of color to form an image.

Pioneering artists

There were two main artists who continued the pointillist tradition: Pierre Seurat and Paul Signac. But along with them, others such as Camille and Lucien Pissaro, Albert Dubois-Pillet, Henri Edmond-Cross, Théo Van Rysselberghe, Henri Matisse and even Van Gogh sought the inspiration that pointillism brought to the art world.

An impressionist-inspired technique

Also known as divisionism, pointillism is a sophisticated technique. It forces our eye and mind to fuse and assimilate color across a wide chromatic range.

It's a relatively original approach, as the dotted brush strokes force the viewer to take a few steps back to see the work as a whole.

Like impressionist artists, pointillists depict landscapes and portraits; their aim is to paint relaxing outdoor scenes.

Instead of mixing colors on a palette, pointillists apply raw colors directly to the canvas.

Using round or square strokes of the brush, the mixing of tones and pigments takes place on the surface of the canvas as they work, rather than on a palette beforehand. This technique was a complete break with the traditional practices of the 19th century.

Pointillist theory states that the dots can only be distinguished from each other when viewing the work from a certain distance. The further away you are, the more “complete” it looks.

Thanks to this technique that separates the colors applied, some areas of the canvas remain untouched and can still be seen. This gives the work an even brighter effect.

Beauty in the use of color

Imagine the artist in front of an easel. Brushes in hand, tubes of paint nearby, all he has to do is paint. However, in order to execute pointillism, he has a major restriction. He will have to produce his work without mixing his paints on the palette or canvas. Yes, it sounds challenging.

You might wonder why artists went to so much trouble to create pointillism. The answer is simple. They wanted to revolutionize art and offer a new definition of what it means to be an artist. And to do this, they based themselves on scientific theories about time and optical phenomena.

Charles Henry, a French librarian and publisher interested in the subject, wrote a book called Chromatic Circle, in which he demonstrated how the positioning of colors on a circle can help create new color combinations.

Complementary colors were born from this. This method is widely used today, as the search for harmony involves the use of complementary shades, such as blue with orange, red with green or yellow with purple. Chromatic connections provoke strong contrasts and even seem to accentuate the intensity of the hues that appear on their own. The colors vibrate together and reflect each other in places you probably wouldn't expect.

Tone Saturation

Pointillism is characterized by a general saturation of tones. This explosive use of color paved the way for Fauvism and Surrealism. The artists used different variations of the same shade without mixing the pigments. This made the canvases appear softer and less visually aggressive. In addition, the monochrome aspect that was developed gives pointillist works an added dimension of complexity and richness.

Are you interested in receiving content like this straight to your inbox? Subscribe to our newsletter by filling in the form below.