Four Roads Forward

Post-Impressionism was a collection of individual rebellions, not a single program. Cézanne wanted to make Impressionism "solid and durable, like the art of the museums." Van Gogh chased emotional intensity through color. Gauguin sought spiritual meaning in non-Western cultures. Seurat wanted to put color on a scientific footing.

Each solution pointed toward a different future: Cézanne anticipated Cubism, Van Gogh led toward Expressionism, Gauguin opened the path to Fauvism, and Seurat foreshadowed Op Art and digital imagery.