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Art express

Playing with colours

Colour pigments obtained in Pointillism are said to be brighter or purer than those obtained by traditional mixing

Pointillism, a kind of oil painting, is an offshoot of Impressionism and held sway in France in 1880s. Neo Impressionist artist Georges Seurat was closely related to the movement. Seurat was inspired by the scientific colour theories of Herman Helmholtz and Michel Euguéne Chevreul. Classified as post-Impressionism, Pointillism is closely related to Divisionism. The difference in the two styles is where Divisionism was concerned with colour theories, Pointillism focused on a specific style of brushwork.

In Pointillism, non-primary colours are generated not by the traditional mixing of pigments but by making dabs or points of pure colour in close proximity so that when viewing from a distance, the eye does the mixing and the primary colours blend to form secondary colours. The colours obtained thus are said to be brighter or purer than those obtained by traditional mixing. The same theory is at work on our computer and television screens where points of red, green and blue give us the impression of colour — who would say television is impressionistic! While Seurat is the most famous of Pointillists, others associated with the movement include Paul Signac and Henri-Edmond Cross. Pointillism is said to have inspired Fauvism.

MINI ANTHIKAD-CHHIBBER

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