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| 1884-1886 |
Georges Seurat spent two years painting A Sunday Afternoon
through constant observation. Such a painting took a considerable amount of
effort and he spent many hours sitting in the park drawing sketches, making
preliminary paintings and perfecting his craft. He used a concept called
pointalism which is painted in small dots to enhance the colors and make them
more vivid to viewers.
He is the perfect example of how many years of practice make
perfection with one’s work. This is a very different concept than many people
view today through the instant television impressions of success. Even our
modern day heroes of sports players recognize the amount of time and effort
they put into their own crafts.
The painting was created as a representation of Ile de la Jatte which is an Island at the
gates of Paris. Locals would bring their families to the park and lounge on
Sunday afternoon. Such patrons would play games, fish, have meaningful
conversation, and do other socializing with Paris residents. It is a painting representing the social
classes of the time.
Goerge Seurat was born in 1859 and is considered a French post-impressionist
painter. Such painters used bright colors, thick paint and distinctive styles.
He was born in Paris and became wealthy by speculating in land. He spent some
time in the French military and later years with a young model that bore him a
son before his death.
Seurat took a scientific approach to painting. He believed
that one could use painting to elicit emotion in much the same way as a
musician could through the arrangement of notes. By using color he could create
a language through heuristics. Emotion such as gaiety can be achieved through
luminous hues, warm colors and upward directed lines. Likewise, calm can be
developed through light and dark, balance of warm and cold colors, and
horizontal lines. Sadness comes through dark colors and pointing lines
downward.
