THE EXPLORATION OF VISUAL TECHNIQUES: THE SCIENCE OF COLOR

Paris, 1886. Art Critic Félix Fénéon Describes the Quest of the Neo-Impressionists, such as Paul Signac, to Create Optical Illusions through New Painting Techniques, like Pointillism
The exploration of new painting techniques characterized fin-de-siècle art and opened up new possibilities and alternatives to classic oil paintings, and to the and pastels, drawings, engravings, and lithographic and woodcut prints of the era. One of the most celebrated innovations was Pointillism, the application of individual strokes of distinct color on the canvas, which blended optically to create an image in the viewer’s eye. Artists like Henri-Edmond Cross and Georges Seurat sought to do more than merely depict reality and instead elaborated on Pointillism to convey certain sensations and emotions with their works.

"It is through the harmonies of line and color, which he can manipulate according to his needs and will, and not according to subject, that the painter must awaken emotion." [Paul Signac]