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Which artists helped develop Synthetism with Paul Gauguin?

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Synthetism was a method of painting evolved in the 1880s by Paul Gauguin, Émile Bernard, Louis Anquetin, and other artists associated with the Pont-Aven school.12

Gauguin and Bernard were the primary figures who rejected Impressionist techniques in favor of Synthetist methods, which emphasized two-dimensional flat patterns, bold colors, and the use of memory over direct observation. Bernard, who is sometimes credited with founding the related style of Cloisonnism, influenced Gauguin with his use of bold forms separated by dark contours.123

Other artists who participated in the development of this style under Gauguin’s informal tutelage at Pont-Aven included:

  • Charles Laval1
  • Maxime Maufra1
  • Paul SĂ©rusier1
  • Charles Filiger1
  • Meyer de Haan1
  • Armand SĂ©guin1
  • Henri de Chamaillard1

These artists, often referred to as Gauguin’s disciples, helped transition these theories into the Symbolist movement and later influenced the Nabis.12