the puntillism

What is Puntillismo:
Pointillism, also known as neo-impressionism, dot painting or divisionism, was a painting technique created in France, in the mid-1880s, in which it consists of the decomposition of tones based on tiny brushstrokes, similar to small points of colors. The word puntillismo is of French origin pointillisme.


The technique of pointillism was developed from the impressionist movement and focuses on the production of color through juxtaposed brushstrokes, that is, because the colors are pure and never mix with each other but the viewer is the one who does it. However, the evolution of impressionism to pointillism is due to the scientific studies of Michel Chevreul (1786-1889), he published his work Of the law of the simultaneous contrast of colors (1839) and Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894) investigated on the theory of colorful vision trichromatic (1878).

Characteristics of pointillism

As was previously said, pointillism was a technique created from the impressionist movement, so the decomposition of colors and luminosity, the way to create the dimension and depth, as well as the preference to make the paintings outdoors with the In order to capture light and color are characteristics attributed to that movement.

However, pointillism is more focused on the geometric cut or the scientific search for color to obtain more luminous tones that allow light and heat to be transmitted. Also, pointillism used the juxtaposition of primary colors separated by very small white spaces that ends up mixing the images and colors, producing a third color, which seeing the painting at a distance allows a dotted image to be continued to be mixed in the eyes of the observer , which produces the impression of a whole.

Therefore, the tone is the decomposition from the primary colors, which allow to arise secondary colors that constitute the shape of the represented objects, once the prismatic alteration of the color enhances the impression and tones.

Representatives of pointillism and their works

The maximum representatives of pointillism were:

Paul Signac (1863-1935): considered as the father, creator, or initiator of pointillism. He painted among many works, The port of Marseille, The red buoy, Breakfast.

Georges Seurat (1859-1891): among his works highlights the circus, models, the Seine and the Big Jatte in spring.

Also, the artists were influenced by pointillism: Van Gogh (1853-1890), Henri Matisse (1869-1954) and Pablo Picasso (1881-1973).