1000 Famous Post-Impressionism Paintings

1000 Famous Post-Impressionism Paintings

Post-Impressionism, beyond the light

At Alpha Reproduction, we believe that certain artistic movements do not just extend a tradition: they invent a new way of seeing and feeling.

Born in the 1880s, post-impressionism goes beyond the simple search for light effects typical of impressionism.
He opens a new chapter in the history of art, focused on inner expression, the structure of forms, and emotional intensity.

While the impressionists wanted to capture the moment, the post-impressionist artists seek to interpret reality, to transcend it through color, composition, and symbol.
They thus lay the foundations of modern art, profoundly influencing 20th-century movements such as Fauvism, Cubism, and Expressionism.

Through this article, Alpha Reproduction invites you to discover 1000 major works of Post-Impressionism,
iconic paintings by Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and many other visionary artists.

🎨 Explore with us this fascinating period of transition, where painting becomes pure emotion, inner language, and pictorial boldness.

What is post-impressionism?

Definition of Post-Impressionism

Post-Impressionism refers to an artistic movement that emerged in France in the 1880s, as a direct reaction to Impressionism.
While he retains the love of bright color and light, he distinguishes himself by a new will: to go beyond the visual appearance to express deep emotions, lasting structures, and an inner vision of the world.

Unlike the Impressionists who painted the fleeting moment, the post-Impressionist artists aim to give painting a more symbolic, more structured, more personal dimension.

They experiment:

  • unrealistic but emotional colors,

  • simplified or distorted shapes,

  • bold and subjective compositions.

🎨 Post-Impressionism thus paves the way for modern art, heralding Fauvism, Cubism, and Expressionism of the 20th century.

Why is Post-Impressionism considered a transition?

Post-Impressionism is both:

  • an extension of Impressionism (through the use of color and light),

  • and a break (through the search for structure, emotional depth, and interiority).

In this, it constitutes a pivotal period:

  • He breaks away from mere external observation.

  • He asserts the subjectivity of the artist.

  • He prepares the great pictorial revolutions of the 20th century.

By their boldness, the post-impressionist painters open new paths, where feeling takes precedence over fidelity to reality.

🎯 Quick summary:
➔ Post-Impressionism is the moment when art leaves pure representation to enter the expression of the soul.

The great masters of Post-Impressionism

Post-Impressionism is not an organized group with a single manifesto, but rather a constellation of bold artists, each inventing their own path.

These major painters, with unique styles, share the same ambition: to go beyond the observation of the world to express inner emotion, deep structure, and spiritual truth.

Here are the major figures of the post-impressionist movement.

Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890)

Symbol of emotional expression in painting, Van Gogh embodies all the heightened sensitivity of post-impressionism.

Through his turbulent wheat fields, starry nights, and vibrant sunflowers, he transforms nature and inner life into whirlwinds of color and light.

🎨 Iconic works:

His expressive use of the brush and his intense colors make him one of the most iconic and beloved post-impressionist artists in the world.

Paul Cézanne (1839–1906)

Considered the "father of modern art," Cézanne explores the underlying structure of nature.

Through his rigorously constructed still lifes, his landscapes of Mont Sainte-Victoire, and his monumental portraits, he seeks to "make Impressionism something solid and lasting."

🎨 Major works:

Cézanne directly inspires Cubism through his structured and geometric vision of the world.

Paul Gauguin (1848–1903)

Visionary and mystical, Gauguin abandons realistic representation to invent a symbolic and colorful art.

Inspired by Polynesian culture, he explores exoticism, dream, and spirituality through flat areas of color and simplified shapes.

🎨 Iconic works:

Gauguin paves the way for symbolism and primitivism of the 20th century.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901)

Painter of Parisian nightlife, Toulouse-Lautrec captures with biting intensity the bohemian soul of Montmartre.

His fluid, graphic style, influenced by posters and Japanese prints, breaks with realism and heralds Art Nouveau.

🎨 Famous works:

His modern and incisive gaze places Toulouse-Lautrec among the central figures of post-impressionism.

Émile Bernard (1868–1941)

A discreet but essential innovator, Émile Bernard theorizes cloisonnism: forms outlined in black and flat areas of color, inspired by medieval and Japanese art.

🎨 Major works:

  • Breton Women at the Pardon (1888)

  • Breton Women by the Seaside (1887)

Close to Van Gogh and Gauguin, Bernard plays a key role in the birth of a more synthetic and symbolic post-impressionist art.

🎨 Each of these post-impressionist masters transformed the pictorial language in their own way, preparing the advent of modern art.

The main characteristics of Post-Impressionism

Post-Impressionism is defined by a series of major innovations that revolutionize the history of painting.

While it retains certain contributions of Impressionism — notably the importance of color and light — it distinguishes itself by its desire for personal expression, deep structure, and transcendence of the visible.

Here are the main characteristics of post-impressionism:

The subjective use of color

Post-Impressionist artists no longer seek to faithfully reproduce the colors of reality.
They use color in an expressive, symbolic, emotional way.

  • Vincent van Gogh paints skies in electric blue and wheat fields in burning yellow.

  • Paul Gauguin uses reds, purples, and intense greens to convey dream and spirituality.

🎨 Color becomes an autonomous emotional language, freed from naturalistic constraints.

The expression of deep emotions

Unlike the Impressionists who capture the external moment, the Post-Impressionists seek to express the inner self, the human soul.

  • Van Gogh paints the Starry Night not as a realistic sky, but as a swirling vision of infinity.

  • Cézanne reconstructs landscapes through an emotion of stability and order.

🎨 Each painting becomes a silent confession, a mirror of inner life.

The structure and the construction

Post-Impressionism does not settle for fleeting sensations: it seeks to solidly reconstruct reality.

  • Cézanne studies volumes, perspective, and planes.

  • Gauguin simplifies the forms into structured flat areas.

🎨 The compositions become more thoughtful, the masses more assertive, paving the way for future abstraction.

The influence of non-Western arts

Japonism — influence of Japanese prints — plays a major role in the evolution of post-impressionism:

  • Simplification of forms,

  • Shadow removal,

  • Flat and stylized backgrounds.

🎨 Gauguin, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec draw from this aesthetic to radically renew their pictorial language.

🎯 Quick summary:
➔ Post-Impressionism frees color, expresses emotion, constructs space — and paves the way for modern art.

Why did Post-Impressionism change the history of art?

Post-Impressionism is not just a transition between two styles:
it is a true turning point in the history of Western painting.

Thanks to his stylistic boldness and quest for pure emotion, he paves the way for the greatest movements of the 20th century: Fauvism, Cubism, Expressionism, Surrealism.

Here is why post-impressionism profoundly transformed art:

Color becomes independent

Before Post-Impressionism, color was used to imitate reality.
Afterwards, it becomes a vector of emotion, an autonomous language.

🎨 Van Gogh paints an electric blue sky to express infinity.
🎨 Gauguin uses vibrant reds to convey the dream.

Color is no longer descriptive: it becomes expressive.

Inner emotion takes precedence over external reality

With post-impressionism, the goal is no longer just to capture the external world, but to reveal the inner world.

🎨 Every landscape by Van Gogh, every portrait by Gauguin, every scene by Lautrec expresses emotion above all.

It's a revolution: art becomes personal, subjective, deeply human.

The return to structure announces modern art

While Impressionism favored the moment and fluidity, Post-Impressionism reconstructs space.

🎨 Cézanne, in particular, paves the way for cubism by seeking to give volume and stability to objects.

By this demand, the artists announce the major formal explorations of the 20th century.

The broadening of artistic influences

Post-Impressionism incorporates unprecedented references:

  • Japonism,

  • Primitive art,

  • Symbolism.

🎨 This cultural opening in turn opens art to the universal and future abstraction.

🎯 Quick summary:
➔ Post-Impressionism freed color, valued inner emotion, reconstructed pictorial space, and opened art to new cultures.

It is therefore the founding act of modern art.

Where can one admire the masterpieces of Post-Impressionism today?

The masterpieces of post-impressionism are now exhibited in the world's greatest museums.
Each place allows you to admire the expressive power, vibrant modernity, and diversity of styles from this pivotal period.

Here are the main must-see places to discover post-impressionism:

Musée d'Orsay (Paris)

The Musée d'Orsay has one of the most important collections of post-impressionist paintings.

🎨 Major exhibited works:

💭 A true temple for understanding the transition between Impressionism and modernity.

Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam)

Entirely dedicated to Vincent van Gogh, this museum houses:

🎨 A total immersion in the emotional and pictorial universe of the post-impressionist master.

National Gallery (London)

The National Gallery houses several Post-Impressionist masterpieces:

  • Bathing at Asnières – Georges Seurat

  • Portrait of Madame Roulin – Vincent van Gogh

💭 An exceptional place to admire the first steps of pictorial modernity.

Art Institute of Chicago

This prestigious museum offers an impressive collection of works from the late 19th century, including:

  • Self-portrait – Vincent van Gogh

  • Landscape at Auvers – Paul Cézanne

🎨 A vibrant journey between Impressionist light and Post-Impressionist intensity.

Private collections and temporary exhibitions

Many post-impressionist works are held by prestigious private collections. They sometimes reappear on the occasion of major international exhibitions dedicated to Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne, Lautrec, or Bernard.

🎯 Each temporary exhibition is a unique opportunity to discover these treasures in motion.

🎨 At Alpha Reproduction, we offer you the chance to relive the magic of post-impressionism through hand-painted reproductions, faithful to the original works preserved in these great museums.

Reproduction of a Post-Impressionist Painting: A Living Work for Your Interior

At Alpha Reproduction, we believe that every post-impressionist masterpiece deserves to continue living and inspiring.

That is why we create hand-painted reproductions, faithful to the original works of the great masters of post-impressionism.
Each canvas is carefully crafted, oil on canvas, respecting the textures, colors, and original emotion.

Why choose a post-impressionist painting for your decoration?

Post-Impressionism brings:

🎨 A vibrant energy: through the expressiveness of colors and shapes.

🎨 An immediate emotion: each artwork speaks to the heart, unfiltered.

🎨 A timeless modernity: these paintings, created between 1885 and 1905, still resonate with their strength and boldness.

Installing a post-impressionist reproduction at home is inviting light, emotion, and authenticity into your living space.

Available formats, customizations, and certificate of authenticity

At Alpha Reproduction, we offer:

  • Standard sizes: faithful to the historical dimensions of the original works.

  • Custom sizes: adapted to your interior space (living room, office, library, private gallery).

  • Custom frames: classic moldings, modern frames, or elegant American box frames.

Each painting is delivered with:

✅ A certificate of authenticity.
✅ The guarantee of a hand-painted artwork, not printed.

🎁 Treat yourself or give a loved one a fragment of art history — vibrant, sincere, and eternal.

🎨 The emotional strength of post-impressionism deserves to live in your home: bring in a new light, a creative breath, an authentic human vibration.

🎨 Conclusion: Post-Impressionism, the birth of modernity

Post-impressionism did not just extend impressionism:
he reinvented painting, making it more personal, more emotional, more universal.

Through Van Gogh's vibrant brushstrokes, Gauguin's dreamlike harmonies, Cézanne's solid volumes, and Lautrec's urban sensitivity, the world discovers an art freed from academic constraints, ready to explore the human soul.

Each post-impressionist painting is a silent confession, a quest for inner truth, an open door to the infinity of emotions.

At Alpha Reproduction, we are proud to bring this heritage back to life through our hand-painted reproductions.
Treat yourself to the raw emotion of post-impressionism and let your interior resonate with the rhythm of light, color, and passion.

Explore our collection and rediscover living art — free, intense, eternal. 🎨

🎨 Also discover: Impressionism, this luminous movement that revolutionized painting before the advent of post-impressionism.

📚 FAQ – Post-Impressionism

🟨 What is post-impressionism?

Post-Impressionism refers to a group of artists active between 1885 and 1905 who, while inheriting from Impressionism, seek to express more than just the visual impression: 🎨 inner emotion,
🎨 symbolism,
🎨 structure.

They pave the way for the major modern movements of the 20th century.

🟨 Who are the most famous painters of Post-Impressionism?

Among the greatest Post-Impressionist masters, we find:

🟨 What is the difference between Impressionism and Post-Impressionism?

Impressionism seeks to capture the moment, the fleeting light, the natural atmosphere.
Post-Impressionism, on the other hand, goes further: ➔ It expresses the artist's inner emotion.
➔ It favors color, free composition, symbolism.

Realism gives way to personal expressiveness.

🟨 Where can post-impressionist paintings be seen today?

The world's greatest museums exhibit the masterpieces of post-impressionism:

🟨 Can we buy a hand-painted reproduction of a post-impressionist painting?

Yes !
At Alpha Reproduction, we offer oil on canvas reproductions, 100% hand-painted, of the most beautiful masterpieces of post-impressionism. Each painting comes with a certificate of authenticity, guaranteeing fidelity to the original style and artisanal excellence.

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