Pointillism

Main article: Neo-Impressionism
Detail from Seurat's Parade de cirque, 1889, showing the contrasting dots of paint which define Pointillism

Pointillism (/ˈpwæ̃tɪlɪzəm/, also US: /ˈpwɑːn-ˌ ˈpɔɪn-/)[1] is a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image.

Georges Seurat and Paul Signac developed the technique in 1886, branching from Impressionism. The term "Pointillism" was coined by art critics in the late 1880s to ridicule the works of these artists, but is now used without its earlier pejorative connotation.[2] The movement Seurat began with this technique is known as Neo-impressionism. The Divisionists used a similar technique of patterns to form images, though with larger cube-like brushstrokes.[3]

  1. ^ "pointillism". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference ArtCyclopedia was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Ruhrberg, Karl. "Seurat and the Neo-Impressionists". Art of the 20th Century, Vol. 2. Koln: Benedikt Taschen Verlag, 1998. ISBN 3-8228-4089-0.