Cloisonnism is another name for Synthetism, a movement begun by Paul Gauguin and his Pont-Aven buddies.
The term refers to cloisonné, a specific kind of early European, Chinese and Japanese metalwork. The technique requires that compartments (cloisons) created with metal wires or strips separate areas of pure enamel color.
In Cloisonnism, we see areas of flat, bright color separated by strong outlines of black or other defining contours. These areas of color seem locked together, side by side, in the same manner as decorative cloisonné on vases or reliquaries.
The term was coined by the art critic Édouard Dujardin in his review of the Salon des Indépendants in the Revue Indépendante, May 19, 1888.
Cloisonnism is another name for Synthetism, which exhibited the same artists as Synthetists in 1889.
Cloisonnism is a Post-Impressionist movement and style.
How Long Was Cloisonnism a Movement?
From the late 1880's to 1903 (the death of Gauguin)What Are the Key Characteristics of Cloisonnism?
Flat, broad areas of color divided by black or darker lines that create contours.What Is the Best Example of Cloisonnism?
Paul Gauguin's Sermon after the Vision: Jacob Wrestling with the Angel, 1888.Best Known Artists:
- Paul Gauguin
- Paul Sérusier
- Paul Ranson
- Émile Bernard
- Louis Anquetin
- Meyer de Haan
Suggested Sources:
Rewald, John. Post-Impressionism: From van Gogh to Gauguin.
New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1978.
Brettell, Richard. Modern Art, 1851-1929.
New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Roseblum, Robert and H.W. Janson. 19th-Century Art.
New York: Prentice Hall and Harry N. Abrams, 1984.