Originally used for an exhibition in 1910, the term posttimpressionism encompasses various styles adopted by artists who succeeded impressionism and explored new and colourful approaches.
Artist and art critic Roger Fry (1866-1934) coined this term for his 1910 exhibition, "Manet and the Post-Impressionists." Reacting to the concern of impressionism for simple appearance, but inspired by the way the movement exploited optical effects, the artists brought together by Fry had unique styles that expressed more what they thought than what they saw. They did not call themselves post-impressionists; The term was used when everyone had already died. Most were independent and some were initially associated with the Impressionists, but not all. Continuing the exploration of bright colors, they did not directly represent the world as the Impressionists did. Some expressed an atmosphere or spirituality through colour and symbolism, others explored optical effects, and still others analyzed the underlying structures. Although everyone took a particular approach, they generally attached great importance to colours and shapes and nevertheless represented the visible world, but not in a photographically realistic way. Through their stylized representations, they introduced notions of abstraction.

Color was used by many posttimpressionists to shape and express the structure of objects. Those who worked in the south of France wore brighter colours, and all represented a wide variety of themes of contemporary life. Most of the works had joyful themes; Some used photography even more than Impressionists, representing life from unusual angles.

MAIN ARTISTS: PAUL CÉZANNE • VINCENT VAN GOGH • PAUL GAUGUIN • HENRI DE TOULOUSE-LAUTREC • HENRI ROUSSEAU