Pointillism

1. Pointillism

2. Henri-Edmond Cross. Evening Breeze. 1893-1894. Oil on canvas. 116 x 165 cm. Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France. What is Pointillism? • Pointillism is a style of painting in which small distinct points of primary colors create the impression of a wide selection of values and colors. • The technique relies on the perceptive ability of the eye and mind of the viewer to mix the color spots into a fuller range of tones. • It can be seen in the works of Seurat, Signac and Cross.

3. Pointillism vs. Stippling • Stippling is a technique of using small dots to simulate varying degrees of solidity or values. • In a drawing or painting the dots are made up of a single color. The denser the spacing of the dots, the darker the shade will be. • This is similar to, but distinct from, pointillism which uses dots of different colors to simulate blended colors. Oil on canvas, 81 x 120 in; Signed, bottom right; Art Institute of Chicago, Helen Birch Bartlett Collection

4. Is this an Example of Pointillism or Stippling?

5. Pointillism or Stippling?

6. Pointillism or Stippling?

7. Other Examples of Pointillism • Where can other examples of pointillism be found? • Pointillism is used in four-color CMYK printing process used by some color printers and large presses • It is used in some computer monitors • It is used in some television sets which use tiny dots of primary red, green, and blue to render color.

8. Georges-Pierre Seurat • A French painter and the founder of Neo-impressionism, an art movement during the late 19th century • Was a pointillism pioneer. • Was influenced by scientist who wrote about color, optical effects and perception. (Do you see the connection with here with pointillism?) • He was most influenced by the scientist Michel Eugene Chevreul who discovered that two colors juxtaposed, slightly overlapping or very close together, would have the effect of another color when seen from a distance. • The discovery of this phenomenon became the basis for the Pointillist technique of the Neoimpressionist painters.

9. Georges-Pierre Seurat • His most famous work was Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. • It shows members of each of the social classes participating in various park activities. • The tiny juxtaposed dots of multi-colored paint allow the viewer's eye to blend colors optically, rather than having the colors blended on the canvas or pre-blended as a material pigment. • It took Seurat two years to complete this ten foot wide painting, much of which he spent in the park sketching in preparation for the work (there are about 60 studies). Seurat, Oil on canvas, 81 x 120, Art Institute of Chicago

10. Your Assignment! You will: • Step one: Still Life Study • Draw a contour study of a still life. • Fill in the hues and values of the still life using the pointillism technique. • Like Seurat’s paintings, your juxtaposed multicolored dots should allow the viewer's eye to blend colors optically, rather than applying blended colors!

11. Your Assignment • Step two: Class Collaborative Pointillism Painting • You will depict 2 segments of an image using the pointillism technique from 2 1” x 1” images on to 6”x 6” paper to create a class painting that will be around 4’x 4’ big depending on the size of the class. • Use graphite to roughly replicate and draw out the contours of your segment onto your paper. • Collaborate with students with adjacent sections of your picture to ensure the contour lines are congruent. • Step three: • Fill in the values and colors of your portion with painting using cotton swabs to make colored dots. • Again, like Seurat’s paintings, your juxtaposed multicolored dots should allow the viewer's eye to blend colors optically, rather than applying blended colors! • Remember to constantly compare your colors, values, and shapes with the students working on the adjacent sections of your picture!!

12. Grading Rubric