Pointillism is a style of art consisting of small dots or stokes of primary colors are put onto the canvas. When seen from a distance, all of the small dots optically blend together and create a delicately radiant image. Pointillist artists avoided lines, and used shading techniques to achieve soft effects.

Georges Seurat and Paul Signac developed the technique in 1886, branching from Impressionism. Pointillism relies on the ability of the eye and mind of the viewer to blend the color spots into a fuller range of tones.

Famous Pointillism Artists

Henri-Edmond Cross
Georges-Pierre Seurat
Paul Signac

A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte, 1884-86
by Georges-Pierre Seurat