The Picture: A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte

George Seurat’s "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte"

George Seurat’s ‘A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte’ is a meticulous, unique and beautiful piece of painting in the history of art. Anyone coming across it for the first time admires the artistic skills that were employed by the author. It is evident that his main focus on the formal elements of paintings included color, light, scale, and form among other elements. The synchronization and coordination of these elements bring out a classic work of art. The following paper offers an interpretive analysis of this piece of painting; it will pay particular attention to the formal elements.

Use of Colors

First and foremost, there has been explicit use and synchronization of colors and dots. They act well to steer one's emotions and feelings. I have known very bold colors to depict danger, violence or extreme joy. However, in this painting George had used colors I refer to as calm colors. It is so captivating how he had varied the shades. The oceanic blue color used to depict waters brings out the reality of George’s objective. When I first glanced at it, I could conclusively say that the painting was depicting an island. The grass green color that represents the grass and the trees affirms the reality of this island. It inspires comfort and laxity. In fact, one desires to be part of the people in the picture in different shades of brown clothing. The use of colors also makes us be able to speculate what kind of painting George Seurat presents us. The black color, which is present in the depiction of some individuals in the picture, for example, brings out both a formal and informal setting. Altogether, one gets a sense of serenity in this park. The juxtaposed colors of blue alongside green create a brilliant and harmonious effect on me as a viewer.

Use of Form and General Composition of the Painting

The artist deployed the formal elements of composition very well. In other words, the use of dots, color, and forms had been synchronized perfectly. My first glance at it gives an impression of people having a moment of leisure together. The use of dots gives the painting an orange hue. Owing to the suitable arrangement, one is easily able to spot a dog running, children playing, some people resting on the grass, others standing as though observing something from a distance and others sitting. It is remarkable that George is able to bring out the fact that almost everyone is looking at the water body. Generally speaking, it takes good composition to achieve this objective.

Moreover, through composition, the artist had endowed every object with its unique appropriate form. The use of form makes one easily identify particular characters in the picture. For example, the close, parallel strokes had been used to define contours of the woman’s bust. In fact, the fuller contours, the curvilinear figures presented from structured confines give objects a more relaxed leisurely appearance and keep with the theme of an afternoon’s recreation. A person in the concision of form still appears to be alone. To us who live in a world full of many pressures and issues, the desire to exist in peace with one another is real. It is evident that no figure seems to disfigure another place and so is our desire, to have the freedom to relax and be in control of our world.

Light

I have also admired how light has been put into use in this painting. It has given the painting two distinct zones: the lighted part and the shades. The defined zone makes one view this painting as a reality and not as fiction. One is able to visualize what time of the day it is. To me, it seems as though it is afternoon and the sun is scorching. Possibly, this is the reason why some people in the picture carry umbrellas.

Scale and Proportion

There had been a classic application of scale drawing. Appropriate scale drawing always enables one to depict how the objects in the picture could look in real life. Moreover, one is easily able to visualize it. Occurring at 207.6 cm? 308 cm, this painting can be well identified in our normal life. It steers up one’s imagination to estimate the area covered by the depicted island in the real world. Any viewer can easily compare the painting to the real world. The perspective of this painting is one of the best ways of bringing out a thematic message.

The appropriate application of proportion in this painting cannot be left unmentioned. There is nothing that seems oversized. In other words, there is no exaggeration of any kind. This is the real world that we are in. Let us imagine, for example, that extremely thin individuals or very short people had been depicted in the picture. We could possibly conclude that that was the world of Eskimos or some other place.

Conclusion

In conclusion, George Seurat's ‘A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte’ is one of the rare works of art that stand alone. Its transcendence is intuitively acknowledged by everyone. He has brought a real-life situation in a very simple yet classic manner. The formal elements described above work together to communicate the thematic message of the painting. I consider it a classic painting of all time.