Have
you ever heard of pointillism? This technique emerged as part of the
Neo-Impressionist movement of the late 19th century and will be our
topic this week on Clef Notes.
While
Impressionism was known to blur images and mix pigments, Neo-Impressionist artists
attempted to move away from these methods by meticulously placing separate dots
on their canvas that, from a distance, formed a beautiful image. This technique
is known as pointillism and artists believed that it would create a vibrant
palate for the viewer’s eye.
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| Georges Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte Courtesy of wikimedia.org |
I
am sure many of you recognize the image above. A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte was painted in
1884 and is one of Georges Seurat’s most well-known works. Using pointillism,
it’s interesting to note that, while the individual dots can be observed up
close, the work appears as solid color from a distance.
How
does pointillism exemplify itself in music? Find out next time as we look at
the work of Anton Webern.
