There are two theories about post-impressionist art. One is that it was a continuation of the modernist spirit of the impressionists, with the application of ever-more scientific principles of color and light to the depiction of objects. The other is that post-impressionism was a re-assertion of an artistic tradition of symbolism and a stylistic move away from naturalism and realism.
The first theory is well represented in Tokyo at the moment with the ¡°Neo-Impressionism, from Light to Color¡± show at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art. Now the second theory is also getting an airing, with the exhibition ¡°Intimate Impressionism from the National Gallery of Art, Washington¡± at the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum.
Although the latter show includes a sizable contingent of impressionist paintings ¡ª including Auguste Renoir¡¯s charming ¡°Woman with a Cat¡± (ca. 1875), which is used as the main image on the exhibition posters ¡ª and it has a title that talks up this component, the show actually has a much wider range.
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