Artful Circle: Register Now! Art History 2021: Post Impressionism & Belle Epoque

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Art History Series

WINTER 2021

Whether you are new to our Art History webinar programs or want to continue learning with us, join us for this brand-new original series....

Post Impressionism

& Belle Époque

This course has never been given before! It is an essential follow up for Impressionism’s first series this autumn and will be equally fascinating to a new viewer.

Post-Impressionism is an independent art historical concept whose chief artists were Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne, Seurat, Lautrec, along with Henri Rousseau, that exceptional personality, one of history's first recognized self taught artists whose originality comparably reflected the vanguard spirit of the era.

Post-Impressionism is much more independent than its predecessor from factual transcription of subject matter, and its artists strongly proclaimed their individuality both in their imagery and the way in which it would be painted.

Impressionists endeavored to be faithful to their eye; Post-Impressionists would be faithful to their inner vision. In so doing, they laid the groundwork for Expressionism, Cubism, and ultimately, through their Symbolist branch, for Surrealism.

Could you think about the future of art without, for example: Van Gogh and Cézanne? We will explore the narrative about these artists, and examine their key works: early, middle and late.

These trends would culminate in the year 1900, which coincided with The Belle Époque the beautiful era, spanning from 1890-1913, the French version of America’s gilded age.

This was the zenith of the French poster with Toulouse-Lautrec, Mucha, and Cheret; Art Nouveau with its glass by Gallé; furniture by Guimard and Majorelle; and fashions from the House of Worth. The sinuous forms of Art Nouveau, the new art, became a worldwide craze, with roots in Japanese culture, manifest in every conceivable form. Whiplash curves, cropped silhouettes of shape, colorful patterning, and unusual perspectives marked it as a new aesthetic. Sarah Bernhardt (portrayed by Mucha), Misia Natanson (portrayed by Lautrec, Vuillard, and Bonnard), Yvette Guilbert and Jane Avril (portrayed by Lautrec) embodied its spirit; the drink of choice was absinthe.