Impressionism is a style of painting that began in France around 1870, characterized by the visual impression of the moment, especially in terms of the shifting effect of light and color. Impressionism uses spots of color to show the effects of different kinds of light, and seeks to capture a feeling or experience rather than to achieve accurate depiction. Impressionism is often painted outdoors to capture sunlight and the color of the objects. Impressionist painting characteristics include relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate representation of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage of time), ordinary subject matter, inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience . One example of impressionism is " Boating on the Seine, c. 1879-80" by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. In Boating on the Seine, Renoir shows exemplary use of color, especially in the rich blue tones which are set off by its complementary orange hue to draw the viewer into the scene. In this example, the orange hue of the skiff against the blue of the river exploits the use of complementary colors. Since blue and orange are opposites on the color scale, they become more intense. The artist also shows the moment as it is, giving a sense of calm to the artwork. 
Post Impressionism was not a particular style of painting. It was the collective title given to the works of a few independent artists at the end of the 19th century. The Post Impressionists reacted against the limitations of Impressionism to explore color, line, and form, and the emotional response of the artist, a concern that led to the development of expressionism. The major artists associated with Post Impressionism were Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Vincent Van Gogh and Georges Seurat. Symbolic and highly personal meanings were particularly important to Post-Impressionists such as Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh. Rejecting interest in depicting the observed world, they instead looked to their memories and emotions in order to connect with the viewer on a deeper level. Vincent van Gogh used color and vibrant swirling brush strokes to convey his feelings and his state of mind. One example of post-impressionism is "Café Terrace at Night" by Vicent van Gogh. Using contrasting colors and tones, Van Gogh achieved a luminous surface that pulses with an interior light, almost in defiance of the darkening sky. Describing this painting in a letter to his sister he wrote, "Here you have a night painting without black, with nothing but beautiful blue and violet and green and in this surrounding the illuminated area colors itself sulfur pale yellow and citron green. It amuses me enormously to paint the night right on the spot..." Painted on the street at night, Van Gogh recreated the setting directly from his observations, a practice inherited from the Impressionists. However, unlike the Impressionists, he did not record the scene just as his eye observed it, but he expressed the image with a spiritual and psychological tone that echoed his individual and personal reaction. The brushstrokes vibrate with the sense of excitement and pleasure Van Gogh experienced while painting this work.
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