perceptionofart

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My Final Piece

So, the title of this piece is “Abuelita.” It’s a photograph of my grandmother standing next to one of her hibiscus flower plants. Which is one of my favorite flowers. She’s been growing this plant since she moved here from Puerto Rico. Honestly, it’s been the only constant and important thing in my life. I’m feeling a bit homesick and really miss my grandmother. She’s one of my top priorities in life. So, I decided to paint a photo of her and dedicate my final project to her because without her, I don’t think I’d be where I am in life right now. Down below was the photo of my grandmother.

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Artist: Georges Seurat

Name: A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte

Dimensions: 207.6 cm × 308 cm (81.7 in × 121.25 in)

Medium: Oil on canvas

Location: The Art Institute of Chicago

 

1. DESCRIPTION OF THE ARTWORK'S PHYSICAL QUALITIES

It is a large oil painting on a canvas that measures about 81 inches by 121 inches (over 6 feet tall and 10 feet wide). Seurat used the pointillist technique, in which the artist uses thousands of tiny dots that blend optically when viewed from a distance. The painting consists of warm tones like blues, purples, lighter and deeper greens, and earthy shades. The oil painting demonstrates the light of a sunny afternoon by a river or any body of water. The canvas represents more small points rather than having more brushstrokes. People are standing vertically, and the trees are vertical as well, contrasting with the horizontal lines of the ground and water. There are also some figures sitting, standing, and resting. The most prominent figures include a woman holding an umbrella and a small girl in a white dress, who is placed in the middle of the canvas. The artwork has a steady rhythm, as if it were frozen in time. This painting includes a method of repetition in different forms, like umbrellas, trees, hats, and how the figures are dressed, that adds feeling to the painting. There is also proportion and contrast showing that the figures closer to the canvas's front are more prominent and more detailed, and the background appears smaller, adding depth to the art piece. There is also light and shadows that create the illusion of the brightness and shading of the actual painting. The painting demonstrates unity and variety because each person has their own distinct pose, clothing, and activity.

2. SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE OF THE ARTWORK

This painting creates a sense of calmness, meditation, and timelessness. The scene feels peaceful, yet there is an almost dreamlike quality in how still and composed the figures are. The color and light create a warmth that reminds me of summer afternoons. It also stimulates nostalgia with the themes of relaxation, social gatherings, and spending time in nature. In 2024, it reminds me of when I enjoyed going to parks and beaches and how public spaces continue to be places of gathering and unwinding for certain people. I particularly relate to the theme of modern life. This resonates in today’s world because it shows that people can be together in a shared space yet still have their own separate minds and concerns, much like how we experience social media and digital interactions.

3. RESEARCH

 Georges Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte—1884 The Neo-Impressionist movement emphasized a scientific approach to color and light, utilizing techniques like pointillism, which involves applying small, distinct dots of color that blend in the viewer's eye to form an image.

metmuseum.org

Seurat's meticulous composition and technique sought to evoke a sense of timelessness, drawing inspiration from ancient art forms, including Egyptian and Greek sculpture.

artic.edu

Seurat, who was only 26 when he began this artwork. These studies illustrate his investigative process, with figures in the final painting significantly transformed from their initial representations.

metmuseum.org

The purpose of this artwork was both artistic and scientific. Seurat aimed to demonstrate the application of color theory and optical mixing, proving that the viewer's eye could visually blend small dots of pure color.

metmuseum.org

A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, 1884, reveals Seurat’s dedication to structure, order, and scientific precision in art. Unlike Impressionism's loose brushwork, the painting also reflects his interest in social dynamics, capturing a scene while subtly highlighting the growing separation between individuals in modern society.

artic.edu

4. MY FINAL THOUGHTS

Georges Seurat’s painting, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, is an important piece of art. It changed the way paintings were made by using color theory and a method called Pointillism. Seurat used tiny dots of color to mix science with beauty in art. The painting shows a moment in 19th-century Paris and reflects the social changes happening at that time. It contains people from different social classes coming together in public spaces, although they seem emotionally distant. This artwork also represents a shift from the loose brushstrokes of Impressionism to a more organized style, marking the start of the Neo-Impressionism movement. I picked this artwork because it combines creativity, history, and social themes really well. It encourages us to think more deeply not just about how it’s made, but about what it says regarding modern life, city living, and how people connect with nature and others as well. Seurat’s careful style and attention to detail make this painting a lasting masterpiece that still motivates artists and viewers today.


Sources that were used:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Sunday_Afternoon_on_the_Island_of_La_Grande_Jatte

https://www.artic.edu/videos/19/georges-seurats-a-sunday-on-la-grande-jatte-art-institute-essentials-tour

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My Art Project

So this painting that I did has more of a deep personal meaning for me because I love the ocean. I love the beach and sometimes I feel like I’m drowning, and I can’t get out from under water. This painting represents how I feel as a person and how I perceive different things but the first thing that came to mind for this project was drowning in water and not being able to get out more of like drowning in life and not being able to get out and get on my feet taking it it’s time. In this painting, you could see that the woman is holding her hand around her neck representing that the words that she wants to say cannot get out because if she opens her mouth, she’ll drown. And in a personal meaning, that’s how I feel like in the world is that not many people understand how I feel and then when it comes to having to explain, I just sit in silence, cause I feel that it’s worthless to try if i’ll still drown.

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Connecting Art To My World

So we had to talk about a personal experience and how color affects us in that experience so I spoke about the one time I went to the beach and saw the sunset and also having to choose a color scheme for my life.

There was this one time at the beach when I was watching the hues of the sunset shifting when the sun was setting and it had really nice orange, pink and deep purple’s. The value of the colors changed when the sun was lowering down and it just transition to the sky with no sun, and the colors changed to more darker tones and shades. The water reflecting the skies colors, made the waves almost glowing intensely, and it made the water look so pretty. The saturation of the colors was at its peak when the sun was just about to disappear on the horizon. Light faded. The colors became more muted, and it left a peaceful, pastel glow in the sky and it was so beautiful.

If I had to pick a color scheme for my life, it would be lilac because first of all it’s my favorite color and that color just represents balance, calmness and also creativity. The soft purple reminds me of like peaceful moments more of quiet mornings. It’s also in sunsets as well and I love sunsets. It also has an uplifting yet smooth color. Lilac also carries both warm and cool color feeling more versatile, and that represents the different phases of my life as well.

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Journaling about the Principles of Design: So this is the definition of these principles in my own words and examples of them in my daily life.

1. Unity– Is when all parts of something feel connected and gives a sense of completeness.

• Example: It is like when all my furniture and decorations align in my room, creating a visually pleasing space to look at.

2. Variety – So this is the complete opposite of unity. Variety is using different elements to create contrast and keep things interesting.

• Example: Like me wearing an outfit with different textures and patterns to make it stand out instead of looking too basic and uniform.

3. Balance – This refers to the arrangement of elements to create stability, whether symmetrical or asymmetrical, in art.

• Example: It’s like placing an equal amount of items, such as my books on my bookshelf, which creates a more balanced appearance.

4. Emphasis – This means making one part stand out more than others to catch the viewer’s attention.

• Example: My sister’s living room chair is navy blue, contrasting with her gray walls in her house, making the chair stand out from the other colors in the room.

5. Subordination – This involves downplaying certain elements to keep the focus on the most important parts.

• Example: My bedsheet covers are ivory, while my walls are white and my bedframe is gray, which softens and mutes the overall color scheme.

6. Directional Forces – This refers to the intentional arrangement of elements to guide the viewer’s eye in a specific direction, helping highlight the main message.

• Example: A curved path in the movie "The Wizard of Oz."

7. Repetition – This is the use of the same shapes, colors, or patterns multiple times to create a piece of art.

• Example: It’s like a T-shirt that has the same stripes and shapes repeatedly throughout the fabric.

8. Rhythm – This refers to a pattern or flow created by repeating elements in an organized way.

• Example: This reminds me of how streetlights are evenly spaced along a road, giving a sense of movement and order that guides direction.

9. Scale – This refers to how the size of one thing compares to another, affecting the perception of importance.

• Example: A large advertisement billboard hovering over smaller street signs makes the billboard more noticeable while diminishing the visibility of the street signs.

10. Proportion – This refers to how different parts of something relate in size to the whole, creating balance.

• Example: This reminds me of portion sizes for meals; for instance, having meat, vegetables, and carbohydrates on a plate is what I think of when I hear the word "proportion."

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My Self-Portrait

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This piece is a preserved butterfly that my brother gifted me on my birthday and made himself. Knowing the love I have for nature and art, he made it all in one, and by him doing that, it made me feel heard about what I am inspired by. It serves a calming purpose, showing the importance of nature and what it is rather than being stuck on social media and blocking what is in the environment. I find this artwork beautiful because it is a real butterfly, and the colors are so gorgeous to me because the back of the wings are blue, and they are so stunning to me. Can you imagine some animals and insects that are so vibrant or have exotic colors that are so beautiful that many take advantage of. It blows my mind how many things are in the environment that many people don't really acknowledge.