Divisionism, Neo-Impressionism

Book excerpt: This beautifully designed exhibition catalogue explores the optically vibrant paintings of the late nineteenth-century Italian Divisionists, examining, for the first time, their relationship to Neo-Impressionism. Artists from both movements subscribed to a painting technique rooted in color theory; held left-wing political views; and pursued similar subject matter--from idyllic landscapes to timely social problems. Arcadia and Anarchy underscores the Italian artists' autonomy from their European counterparts and highlights their importance in pioneering Modernism. Published to accompany the premiere of the exhibition at the Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin, which was curated by Vivien Greene and will travel to the Guggenheim Museum, New York in the summer of 2007, this focused study of 40 key Divisionist works is the first of its kind to appear in the United States. Featuring work by Giovanni Segantini, Théo Van Rysselberghe, Albert Dubois-Pillet, Georges Seurat, Vittore Grubicy de Dragon, Maximilien Luce, Paul Signac, Emilio Longoni, Camille Pissarro, Angelo Morbelli, Henri-Edmond Cross, Plino Nomellini, Charles Angrand, Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo, Giovanni Sottocornola, Jan Toorop and Gaetano Previati, it includes essays by Greene, as well as by noted scholars Giovanna Ginex, Dominique Lobstein and Aurora Scotti Tosini.