Pointillism : Introduction, Characteristics, Inventors

In my previous post I shared some works created by me using Stippling technique. And also shared some information regarding Stippling (dot work) technique. Some people also call this technique as Pointillism. But I told you that stippling is distinct from pointillism. Let us know how it is distinct from pointillism. For that we have to learn what pointillism is.

• What is Pointillism?

In fine art the term "pointillism" (from the French word "point" meaning "dot") describes a technique of Neo-Impressionism painting, in which hundreds of small dots or dashes of pure color are applied to the canvas, or other ground in order to create maximum luminosity. That is, instead of mixing color pigments on a palette and then applying the mixture into the painting, the pointillist applies small dots of pure unmixed color directly onto the picture and relies on the eye of the viewer to mix the color optically.

Pointillism also called Divisionism and Chromoluminarism, in painting, the practice of applying small strokes or dots of colors to a surface so that from a distance they visually blend together. 

• What are the characteristics of Pointillism?

Unlike some art movements, Pointillism has nothing to do with the subject matter of the painting. It is a specific way of applying the paint to the canvas. In Pointillism the painting is made up entirely of small dots of pure color. Pointillism used the science of optics to create color from many small dots placed so close to each other that they would blur into am image to the eye. This is the same way computer screens work today. The pixels in the computer screen are just like the dots in a Pointillism painting. 

Pointillism is often considered part of the Post-Impressionist movement. While Impressionists used small dabs of paint as part of their technique, Pointillism took this to the next level using only small dots of pure color to compose an entire painting.

• When was the Pointillism movement?

Pointillism reached its peak in the 1880s and 1890s after the Impressionist movement. Many of the concepts and ideas, however, continued to be used by artists in the future.

• Who invented Pointillism?

The founder of Pointillism was George Seurat (1859-1891), a model student at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. A traditioned, and conventional classical painter, he rejected Impressionism, a style of painting and color based on the subjective responses of the individual artist, in favour of a more scientific method which he developed around 1884 and called Chromoluminarism. Based on the scientific color theory of the French Chemist Michel Eugene Chevreal (law of Simultaneous Color Contrast, 1839) and the American Physicist Ogden Rood (Modern Chromatics, 1879), the method was used to a degree by the Impressionist painters, but only on an ad hoc basis, and it was not developed systematically until Seurat. Seurat's main disciple was the former Impressionist Paul Signac (1863-1935). A coastal Landscape artist, Signac was strongly attracted by the scientific method behind Pointillism and Divisionism and after Seurat's death in 1891,he became the leading exponent of the Neo-Impressionist movement. In addition to oil paintings and watercolor, he also produced a number of Lithographs, etchings and pen-and-ink sketches composed of tiny, laboriously laid out dots. A strong supporter of younger artists within the Post-Impressionism movement, Signac was reportedly the first person to buy a painting from Henri Matisse.

• How does Pointillism relate to Divisionism and Neo-Impressionism?

Strictly speaking Pointillism refers only to the type of work made on the canvas (the dot) or might just as easily call it "dottism". The actual theory of mixing paint-pigments optically rather than on a palette, is known as Divisionism (or Chromoluminarism). To confuse things further, Pointillism was the signature style of the French painting style known as Neo-Impressionism. To put it another way, Neo-Impressionist painters absorbed the color theories of Divisionism and employed Pointillist brushwork, in order to create the most luminous colors.

Here is one work which I have tried using Pointillism style ~

Watercolor on Paper

(Note : I have gathered this information about Pointillism from different sources.) 

Stippling Art, Dot Work | Learning the technique | Stippled Flowers

Lately, I got attracted to some artworks created by the artists using the dot drawing technique called Stippling. Stippling is an ink drawing technique where you apply tone and texture in small dots. In another words, stippling is a drawing technique in which areas of light and shadow are created using nothing but dots. In a drawing or painting the dots are made of pigment of a single color applied with a pen or brush.

The basic idea is simple : For darker areas you apply a greater number of dots and keep them close together. Then for progressively lighter areas use fewer dots and space them farther apart.
Some people also call this technique as pointillism. But stippling is distinct from pointillism, which uses dots of different colors to stimulate blended colors.

Stippling demands patience and precision, and each piece takes hours to complete.



Here are few flower works which I drew using this technique. You can see by zooming the work that it has been drawn with millions of small dots of pen.

"Anemone"
Pen on Paper
8.5inch × 10.5inch

"Peony"
Pen on Paper
8.5inch × 10.5inch

"Dahlias"
Pen on Paper
8.5inch × 10.5inch

"Orchids"
Pen on Paper
8.5inch × 10.5inch

The process definitely takes hours and demands patience but worth it. I love the texture created by this technique. It looks astonishingly beautiful. I would love to do more works by using this technique and improve my skills.

Thank you for stopping by. Let me know if you like my work. Keep supporting. Keep making art. :)