A Little Culture

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte1884-86, Georges Seurat



This is one of my favorite paintings. I used to have a large print of it hanging in our living room on Damson Lane. It somehow got lost in the move, or thrown out or left behind. I really miss it.

A few years ago I took the train down to spend the day with John in the city. We went to the Museum of Modern Art. I got to see the actual painting! I thought it was the coolest thing. I was so impressed...up close it was just a mass of paint dots that made no sense at all. (Motivated by study in optical and color theory, he contrasted miniature dots of colors that, through optical unification, form a single hue in the viewer's eye. He believed that this form of painting, now known as pointillism, would make the colors more brilliant and powerful than standard brush strokes...wikipedia) It was amazing.
I posted it up today because it reminds me of a Sunday Spring day in a big city park. Everyone has come out to enjoy the beautiful day, and they are dressed in their Sunday best. Beautiful.