Seurat and the Making of La Grande Jatte

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Summary: The Art Institute of Chicago Seurat exhibition catalogue
Review: "Seurat and the Making of 'La Grande Jatte'" was a major exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago from June 19 to September 19, 2004 in Regenstein Hall. Even before it inspired the Stephen Sondheim musical "Sunday in the Park with George" or became a stopping point for the kids playing hooky in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," the 1884 painting by Georges Seurat has been one of the most beloved, famous, and frequently reproduced paintings in the world. This year the Art Institute put together the first comprehensive exhibition of La Grande Jatte and its many related drawings and oil paintings, including approximately 130 paintings and other works:

"The exhibition Seurat and the Making of 'La Grande Jatte' seeks to examine a familiar picture afresh and consider why it has so captured the public imagination. By situating La Grande Jatte in the context of Seurat's artistic development, his dialogue with the Impressionists, and the many preparatory studies produced over the two years of its creation, we can arrive at a richer appreciation of its unforgettable appeal-the way it holds in exquisite balance tradition and innovation, a sense of the momentary and of timelessness, wit and solemnity."

Specifically the exhibit brought together about 45 of the artist's paintings and drawings related to the picture-from rich, yet delicate, conté crayon studies to oil sketches on small wood panels to nearly full-size paintings. The exhibition showed some of Seurat's early works and documents the way his choice of subject matter and use of colors changed around 1883-85, the period when he began exploring the modern-life subjects, high-keyed colors, and broken brushwork of Impressionism.

This is the 288-page catalogue for the exhibition in which Seruat scholar Robert L. Herbert examines in depth the relationship between the finished painting and Seurat's preparatory studies, Herbert focuses on the empirical craftsmanship of the artist. That Seurat would be a revolutionary figure in the history of art is rather surprising, but his theory of "divided color" would lead to his distinctive style of pointillism. The exhibition looks not only at Seurat's early work, such as a sketch for "Bathing Place, Asnières" (1883-84) and the studies that he did for this painting, but also the works of Claude Monet, Pierre Auguste Renoir, and Camille Pissarro, that Seurat admired. Then there are works by Paul Signac and Lucien Pissarro, both of whom shared Seurat's interest in the divided-color/pointillist technique and which were featured in the same room at the exhibition that first presented "La Grande Jatte" to the world at the eight Impressionist exhibition in May 1886.

The book also has an essay by cultural historian Neil Harris charts on how "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte" became one of the Art Institute's most famous works (along with Grant Wood's "American Gothic"). Douglas W. Druick (Searle Curator of European Painting and Prince Trust Curator of Prints and Drawings) and Gloria Groom (David and Mary Winton Green Curator of European Painting), the exhibition's co-curators, write about the painting's place in the Art Institute's collection. The essay by Art Institute conservators Frank Zuccari and Allison Langley examines how Seurat transferred and altered figures from the various studies to the final canvas, while Inge Fiedler, conservation microscopist, explains the exact nature of Seurat's pigments and brushwork. Finally, color scientist Roy S. Berns writes about the efforts to digitally recapture the original hues of Seurat's masterpiece, which have been altered over time.

As you would expect, this catalogue is lavishly illustrated, providing ample visual proof of why "La Grande Jatte" was a watershed event in the history of art. Seeing the studies Seruat made for his painting, from the soldier and the woman with the rose colored skirt to the seated woman with the parasol and the iconic woman walking with the monkey, helps readers to understand the arguments made by Herbert and the others. Just because you missed the exhibit in person, is no reason to deny your self this fascinating look at the one of the most famous and important paintings in history.