The Art History of Postimpressionism

In “Seeing Cezanne” by Richard Shiff, Cezanne is used as an example to demonstrate the failings of art historians to properly differentiate Impressionism from Postimpressionism. Cezanne is shown to have characteristics of both Impressionists and Symbolists. Cezanne does apply distortion to the figures he draws. This distortion can easily be interpreted as using art to represent the feelings the figure evokes in Cezanne, a sign of Symbolist art. Cezanne also recognizes the usefulness of the naked eye, and many of his paintings try to see through this naked, “primitive” eye that is so characteristic of Impressionist painting. Cezanne thus serves as the convenient “missing link” between Impressionism and Postimpressionism. In presenting this idea, despite its oversimplification, Shiff shows that Impressionism progressed gradually toward Postimpressionism. He then uses this point to criticize the name Postimpressionism, saying, “the name itself implies that a theoretical chasm separates impressionist art from whatever followed it.” If this were the case, the missing link Cezanne would not be able to exist. In dubbing the movement following Impressionism as Postimpressionism, art historians have misrepresented the intricate nature of the progression from one artistic movement to another at this point in history.


Also, Shiff uses Cezanne to show that the lines between what defines Impressionism and Postimpressionism are blurry and overlap. Cezanne doesn’t paint in both genres; both genres have overlapping characteristics and goals that can be found in Cezanne’s work. Many of Cezanne’s paintings are drawn over again and again. Cezanne is using more than just his first impression of the scene in his final painting. He is also using his later impressions, so that the painting will never be a complete log of his impressions, because he will always be able to come up with a new point of view or effect from glancing, and then alter the painting. This raises the question: is Impressionism defined as an instantaneous, first impression, or can it be a continuous evolution of impressions, such as Cezanne employs. Perhaps instead this is a Symbolist art form, because the changing impressions show changing emotional reactions to the painting, and thus changing sensations. It’s difficult to tell which interpretation describes this ongoing altering of impression in Cezanne’s painting, perhaps because both interpretations are so vaguely described. Shiff uses Cezanne’s perpetual process to show the ill-defined nature of both Impressionism and Postimpressionism as mutually exclusive artistic movements. This sheds light upon a failing in the characterization of both movements by previous art historians or art critics of the time. Again, Cezanne is used as an example to show the oversimplifications art historians have made in describing Postimpressionism and Impressionism.