A Sunday Afternoon On The Island Of La Grande Jatte

In respects to art, color was typically used in the realistic, visual representation of subjects. 19th century Impressionism was prominent during the 1870s. The artwork of the Impressionist movement typically placed emphasis on the accurate representation of light. Subject matter tended to be things viewed in nature or ordinary landscapes and, the use of free and visible brushstrokes was common. Color was a tool used simply to represent what was seen. But this traditional idea began to be challenged towards the end of the 19th century. Color became more than just a tool to recreate what’s being seen, and instead the main focus of a piece. Artists such as Seurat, Cezanne, Van Gogh, and Matisse used to color to build the images they created.

Artists such as, Seurat and his followers, looked to refine the impulsive and perceptive way of creating in Impressionist works. With a new method of carefully orchestrated system of dots along with blocks of color in order to instill a sense of organization and continuity within their paintings, and a great understanding of color theory, these painters changed the way color was seen in a painting. George Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte is noted as the painting that marked the beginning of this movement and is also referred to as his greatest masterpiece. This new method of carefully orchestrated dots, or divisionism, is used to create the entire painting. Seurat’s use of complementary colors helped to define his shadows and create great contrasts. Take the woman standing in the center for example. The red of her dress and umbrella stand out greatly against the green of the grass and trees. Using small dots of red coupled with the varying dots of green helps to create the shadow casted by the woman, making it appear greyish from afar. Where Seurat positions each color is very important to the overall composition. Where things appear to be purple are strategically placed dots of red and blue. The two primary colors when mixed will make purple, however, with the divisionism method there is no need to mix. By placing the two

Although his knowledge of the color theory and use of complements to convey great contrasts are similar to that of Seurat, his methods were different. Van Gogh is well known for using color to convey emotion. In Van Gogh’s Starry Night it is apparent that he is depicting a dark scene but the use of purple/blue and yellow are complementary colors create a brightness that could send a different tone. Most of the composition is taken up by the night sky; it is the main attraction of the painting. The sky is painted with very expressive brush strokes in the form of swirls. They almost resemble waves in the ocean, creating a swirling movement throughout. In the sky we also see a number of very bright stars along with a bright crescent moon. The stars and moon a centered around a series of coordinated circles that represent the rays of light that make them appear so bright. The blues aren't very dark or muted; they are bright and rich blues with hints of purple in them. Being that yellow is purple’s complement, the stars stand out greatly against the night sky. The stars have hints of orange towards their centers, complementing the heavy amounts of blues as well. Van Gogh's choice of warm and cool contrast in the sky couple with the swirling and circular motions of the brush strokes creates a scene that has the tone of a