Pointillism is a technique of
painting in which small, distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image.
Georges Seurat and
Paul Signac developed the technique in 1886, branching from
Impressionism. The term "Pointillism" was first coined by
art critics in the late 1880s to ridicule the works of these artists, and is now used without its earlier mocking connotation. The movement Seurat began with this technique is known as
Neo-Impressionism. The
Divisionists, too, used a similar technique of patterns to form images, though with larger cube-like brushstrokes.