About Neo-impressionism in the Light of an Exhibition in the Brotherhood of Blackheads House

Starting to write about my painting exhibition in pointillistic style in the Brotherhood of Blackheads House, I suddenly realised a contradiction - the vitality of neo-impressionists founded the basis of stunning modern dying industry. Naming any of world-class colour manufacturers, one should take into account that already impressionists were involved in the birth of these companies. Thus, they brought us modern dyes and primed canvases. The article is about why the colour is so important for us and for impressionists.
While conserving, I involve all classical painting techniques, but I remain pointillistic, when I paint paysages and figurative compositions. My portraits and nudes are not under pointillistic influence due to libido and magnetism radiating from personalities. I have different aspirations concerning pictures in different stylistic methods. They are united by coloured imprimaturas (in yellowish, greenish, redish, brownish, or greyish shades) that have to "warm up" the general colouring of the picture.

The myriad of coloured dots
Treating the lyrical-naive portrait of a successful businesswoman, "The Lady in Orange", I remember the comment of a fellow Estonian artist, Lembit Sarapuu - a friendly simulation of naivety, consummated by an extremely fine needlework on the lady's costume. In a nude, "The Lady of the Moon", I have tried to unite several painting methods. Summer light shed by the moon allures. The experiment with the nude continues and, as a result of the abundance of ideas, already goes beyond the grounds of impressionism.
The paysage in ripe red colouring has undergone several stages of work, until everything in hyperfine myriad of coloured dots found its place. Yellow dots turned into blue, green into red, and orange remained a dominating colour. An elaborated painting.
A set of two pictures in Naples yellow shades that remind of the Golden Horn bay and are perhaps the most close succeeding to Signac radiate unprecedented energy. I personally like "Midsummer Night" in gentle light green colour gammut the most, about several have noted that, taking into account its extremely smooth tonality, the painting might be a bit dusty. What a compliment! I have managed to even more raise the activity of the paintings completed after the show, using fluorescent dyes. The experiment continues and it has to continue, because already the impressionists tried the most innovative techniques.

A Revolution in the Art of Painting
In 1880 David Sutter canonised 167 rules of impressionism, postulating that "Rules cannot hinder spontaneity. The science relieves of unconsciousness, enabling free movement." The discoveries of physicists (Helmholtz, O.N. Road, Chevreul) in the realm of analysing the light and the colour led to a real output - to the revolution in the art of painting. Lately 110 years passed from approving the term of neo-impressionism and the creation of a great artist Seurat's chrestomathic chef-d'oeuvre. Naming Monet and young Matisse, Signac, I recognise that the throne and places on the Olympus of impressionists have been already taken. Impressionism is among many ways of expression, including also the fauvists, French expressionism, the mystical side of impressionism and surrealism (Marcoussis). Everything already depends on the artist.
Impressionism is a treasury of knowledge and experiences that makes one's hands free on the rise to the Olympus and on his flight back, because one can stay there only for a moment!

I Am Striving Towards the Light
While painting the landscape, a canonised object of impressionists with changing colours and forms under the flickering of the atmosphere and vibration, more inclining towards Signac, I all the time striving to convey the lightening power of the light (the Sun). I am interested in painting the total light to the paintings. The light enlivens the shades of colours, draws in detail the contours and variegates the forms. Like Signac, I strive for the most harmonious, luminous and colourful result. Following the principles of Seurat, I only mix pure dyes with white to attain the principle of optical merging of colours in prism. I use dozens and dozens of different shades. So I achieve the purity of colours, freshness and illuminated radiance. I have frequently experienced that a picture can seem different in the morning and in twilight. In twilight the colour of the skin can radiant in violet shades, if painted on intensive green background. The contrasting and mutual replenishment of colours give enormous power of elation and, at the same time, nothing bites you as a wall painted indigo-blue.

Owe Büttner's paintings in the pointillistic style can be seen in the St. Olaf's Gallery of the Brotherhood of Blackheads House up to the 22 of June.