Radiance The Neo-Impressionists
Be inspired by the vibrant beauty of the luminous landscapes, glittering Parisian cityscapes and stunning portraits in this survey of the Neo-Impressionist movement. Forging a new path in the mid 1880s, Georges Seurat moved away from the earlier style of the French Impressionists, who had favoured the capturing of natural light and the first impression brought by a particular scene. Seurat preferred instead a more ordered and ‘scientific’ method of painting. This new method saw him place individual dabs of colour side by side on the canvas, rather than mixing colours together. When contrasting colours are placed side by side in this way, they oscillate against each other, creating an effect of shimmering light in the viewer’s eye. This regular repetition of colour touches brought an almost abstract visual rhythm across the painted canvas. Rejecting naturalism and the illusion of perspective, Neo-Impressionism later evolved towards ever more striking colour harmonies. The exhibition features spectacular paintings by Seurat, Paul Signac, Maximilien Luce and Théo van Rysselberghe among others, and is the first of its kind to be staged in Australia.