Medium: Oil (continued)

This oil painting, A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte by George Seurat, is a great feat. The subject matter consists of middle class people enjoying a leisurely day along the River Seine in France. It is surprisingly large, measuring nearly 10 x 7 feet! However, that is not what is most amazing. The entire painting consists of small dots of paint, a technique known as pointillism.

Intrigued by color theory and the way in which people’s eyes perceive color, Seurat applied paint in small dots in attempt to achieve the greatest visual experience possible. For example, he painted blues and yellows close to one another, believing that a viewer’s eyes will mix them and see green. What do you think?