Today, it remains a highlight of the museum's collection and, arguably, the most celebrated work of Pointillism in the world. It was then passed around different dealers until 1925 when it found a permanent home at the Art Institute of Chicago. Until the turn of the century, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte remained in the possession of the Seurat family. While it was met with mixed reviews, it remained the artist's most famous painting until (and after) his untimely death in 1891. Some art historians speculate that the painting's static ambiance and doll-like figures are intended to criticize modern life in Paris, which Seurat viewed as performative.Īnother optical trick evident in this painting is Seurat's inclusion of an innovative painted “frame.” According to the Art Institute of Chicago, this Pointillist border is supposed to “make the experience of the painting even more intense” by adding even more colors, tones, and textures to the composition.Īfter completing the painting in 1886, Seurat opted to exhibit it in the eighth and final Impressionist exhibition. While at first glance, Seurat's painting appears to be a stunning and colorful depiction of Parisians leisurely enjoying their day, there may be a hidden meaning. This decision adds a sense of realism to the otherwise stylized depiction and helps draws the viewer into the receding scenery. Though the subjects of A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte are rendered in an unrealistic and almost minimalist style, Seurat opted to place them in a range of positions (“of some we see the backs, some we see full-face, some in profile, some are seated at right angles, some are stretched out horizontally, some are standing up straight,” art critic Félix Fénéon remarked in 1886). Georges Seurat, Details of “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” 1884-1886 (Photo: The Art Institute of Chicago, Public domain)

Execution follows on observation, stroke by stroke the panel is covered.” he slices from his little heap of colors arranged in the order of the spectrum the various colored elements which form the tint destined best to convey the mystery he has glimpsed. “Confronting his subject,” Signac explained, “Seurat, before touching his little panel with paint, scrutinizes, compares, looks with half shut eyes at the play of light and shadow, observes contrasts, isolates reflections, plays for a long time with the cover of the box which serves as his palette, then. Why did he dedicate so much time to these preparatory sketches? As Pointillists, Seurat and Signac were particularly interested in playing with perception and experimenting with optics, resulting in a comprehensive and meticulous painting process. This approach enabled Seurat to capture the color, light, and movement of the scene before him, which he revisited several times before finishing the final large-scale painting in 1886. Taking a cue from the Impressionists, he created these studies away from his studio and en plein air. In order to perfect his painting of the popular park, Seurat completed a collection of preliminary sketches and drawings. Like these artists, Seurat often painted scenery found outside the French capital, including La Grande Jatte, a Seine River island situated to the west of Paris. During this time, the artist lived and worked alongside the Impressionists in Paris. Georges Seurat began painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte in the spring of 1884.

Georges Seurat, Study for “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” 1884 (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

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