Impressionism and Pointillism sprung from a rejection of Romanticism and Neoclassicism. Both styles studied the interaction of light as observed by the human eye but each took very different approaches. Impressionists sought to be free from the restraints of classical subject matter and traditional technique instead allowing the hand to move freely, working quickly and often on a more intimate scale. On the other hand, pointillism developed from the study of optical color theory and therefore consisted of a very rigid, analytic and mechanical technique. Paintings done in an impressionistic style tend to have a lot of emotion and sense of movement. Conversely, works produced with pointillism techniques appear very flat, static and lifeless. As both styles caught on, some artists, such as Vincent Van Gogh, would begin using techniques of both to create a new style that would lead the art world towards expressionism.
