The paintings “A Sunday on La Grande Latte” by Georges Seurat and “Golfe Juan” by Paul Signac
Georges Seurat was famous for the Neo-Impressionist technique commonly called Divisionism or Pointillism. His invention was initially derived from new quasi-scientific concepts on expression and color, but with time Seurat became more attracted to Gothic art and popular posters. Seurat’s artistic and painting theories influenced many individuals from Vincent van Gogh to Paul Signac (Amory). One of his works, “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte,” displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago, is termed as one of the outstanding artworks of the late 19th century (Seurat et al. 9). This painting and his career encouraged Steven Sondheim to compose the musical Sunday in the Park with George.
The paintings I compared and contrasted were “A Sunday on La Grande Latte” by Georges Seurat and “Golfe Juan” by Paul Signac. Both artists used the pointillism style in the paintings. The difference between the two works of art is that Seurat diversified his paints from several single colors and used dull pigments like burnt sienna or ochre. On the other hand, Signac used bright colors that displayed a ruminating tone (“Paul Signac Paintings, Bio, Ideas”).
Impressionism and Postimpressionism both denote the persuasive artistic actions of the late 19th-century. Postimpressionism displays a looser coloring artwork, while impressionism features coloring that is closely tied to the subject matter. Between the two, postimpressionism gives the artist the chance to explore his creativity when composing his art (Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, 2020). French impressionism entailed the use of vivacious brushwork and a combination of stunning colors. In contrast, American impressionism involved the use of loose brush rubs and lively pallets to display the loveliness of the American surroundings (Weinberg). Childe Hassam and John Ottis Adams are some of the American Impressionist painters. Their works can be found at The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston in Texas and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Works Cited
“Impressionism and Post-Impressionism.” Oxford Art, www.oxfordartonline.com/page/impressionism-and-post-impressionism/impressionism-and-postimpressionism.
Dita Amory. “Georges Seurat (1859?1891) and Neo-Impressionism | Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art.” The Met?s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/seni/hd_seni.htm.
Seurat, Georges, et al. Georges Seurat: The Drawings. The Museum of Modern Art, 2007.
The Art Story. (2020, February 4). Retrieved from https://www.theartstory.org/artist/signac-paul/
Weinberg, H. Barbara. “American Impressionism.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/aimp/hd_aimp.htm (October 2004)