Synthetism

Synthetism refers to a late 19th-century painting approach developed by Paul Gauguin and his Pont-Aven circle in Brittany, around 1888–1889. It sought to combine forms observed in nature with the artist's symbolic or spiritual ideas, producing a synthesis rather than a direct impression of the subject. The term distinguished this method from Impressionism's emphasis on optical effects, proposing that color and line could express meaning as a unified whole.

The style typically features flattened forms, bold outlines, and areas of pure color, often rendered in a decorative, two-dimensional plane. Contours were used to separate color fields rather than to model volume, and color was often nonnaturalistic, chosen for emotional or symbolic effect. The influence of Japanese prints and Cloisonnism contributed to the use of strong outlines and simplified shapes.

Key figures include Gauguin, Émile Bernard, and Louis Anquetin. Synthetism contributed to the broader shift toward Symbolism and influenced later movements such as Fauvism and early Cubism with its emphasis on expressive color and form over naturalistic detail. While most closely associated with Gauguin’s Breton and later Tahitian works, the approach remained a significant step in the move away from strict naturalism toward a more symbolic and stylistically unified painting.