Pointillism Pointillism Pointillism () is a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image. Georges Seurat and Paul Signac developed the technique in 1886, branching from Impressionism. The term "Pointillism" was coined by art critics in the late 1880s to ridicule the works of these artists, and is now used without its earlier mocking connotation. The movement Seurat began with this technique is known as Neo-impressionism. The Divisionists, too, used a similar technique of patterns to form images, though with larger cube-like brushstrokes. The technique relies on the ability of the
The House of the Deaf Woman and the Belfry at Eragny of the color theory of Neo-Impressionism. Deep green, violet, and blue in the shadows contrast with dots of rose, orange, and yellow to recreate the brilliant summer sun. Pissarro's great-grandson Joachim Pissarro, an art historian, declared that in this painting he "manages to blend his abiding respect for the new technical rules with a sense of freedom and spontaneity. The pulverizing chromatic effect of this new technique is extraordinary light, dazzling colors . . . a brilliant energy that seems to radiate from the canvas." The frame is a reproduction of the original, balancing Pissarro's preference for white with his