Georges Seurat's A Sunday On La Grande Jatte

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Much analysis has characterized debate on the famed painting by Georges Seurat, and it has been considered as one among his greatest works. At the time of its production, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte ruffled the impressionist norm of that period by announcing and advertising pointillism. It embedded the era of large paintings that excited both artistic and cultural fascination.
Underlined by the laborious work employed in its production, Seurat’s choice of dots to make up a whole against the use of generous brush strokes was the beginning of a breakaway from the traditional method by which art was produced and perceived. The visual impact of distance for image cognizance meant that observers and art enthusiasts had to spend time journeying through …show more content…

Located in Seine, the island is a popular get-away for the high and middle classes of Parisian populace, at present as was the case when the artist felt the inspiration to etch the picturesque of that landscape in eternal memory. In the same way that modern photography would do to any setting, the painting captures the lifestyle of the subjects in a manner that is concise and inspires debate.
The painting has a cast of 48 people in leisurely poses, eight boats lazing in the waters and three dogs roaming thereabout; a perfect template of the upper class society enjoying a sunny afternoon, as is telling in their mode of dressing and demeanor. Many scholars consider this piece a response to his earlier work; Bathing At Asnieres ,1884 that is themed on the lower class and features men bathing and drinking from the same waters as others lay about at the bank …show more content…

It would not be a wild imagination to suggest that pointillism, propagated by its most famous proponent, provided the template for modern outdoor digital signage that employs large screens with miniature components arranged side-by-side to make up an extensive composition with a smooth texture when viewed from a distance. This is seen in sports stadia as well as advertising panels erected on storey buildings, among others.
As with every art movement, pointillism’s inception attracted much scorn from the establishment in the art circles of the time, including art critics and the public alike. At its initial exhibition, it proved most notorious among observers, who highlighted its static and robotic characteristics, away from the fluidity that was the norm with impressionism .
In his book 'The Principle of Hope’, Marxist philosopher Ernest Bloch compared the static nature of the painting to the French society; underlining its political and cultural overtones . On her part, Linda Nochlin shores up Bloch’s argument by suggesting that the absence of interaction between the human figures in the composition had a telling political

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