Every Tiny Dot
In April of 2016, Ray and I spent a day at the Art Institute of Chicago. As an art lover, it was one of my favorite days ever. We both enjoyed it so much that we didn’t even stop for lunch, which made our Chicago-style pizza that night taste even better.
Except for times when they were undergoing restoration, the Lions of Michigan Avenue have guarded the Art Institute entrance since 1894. In this photo taken as our day began, Ray stood beside the north lion which, according to sculptor Leroy Kemey, is “on the prowl.”
That afternoon I stood beside the south lion, which is “in an attitude of defiance.” The artist said that the defiant lion sculpture was the most difficult he had ever attempted. Oh, me. Check out those neon green leggings!
Just being inside the building itself is a remarkable experience. It’s beautiful.
I was excited last week when I learned that the Art Institute has made thousands of digitized images of items in its collection which are in the public domain available for use. I am already storing some away for my next writing project.
When I think back on that April day in 2016, I almost always think of this painting, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte—1884. At 81 3/4 inches by 121 1/4 inches, it is a magnificent presence.
A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884
by Georges Seurat, 1884-1886
The Art Institute of Chicago.
Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection
Georges Seurat chose pointillism as his technique to portray Parisians from various strata of society enjoying a quiet Sunday on an island in the Seine River. First he painted small horizontal strokes on his canvas. Then he added dots of various colors, knowing that when someone saw the painting from a distance their sense of vision would blend the colors together. I stood before the painting in awe at his painting all of those dots. Seurat painted a narrow border of blue, orange, and red dots around the park scene. He also designed a simple white frame for A Sunday on La Grande Jatte—1884. The digital image of the painting above does not include the frame, but the Art Institute has recreated Seurat’s frame, so we were able to see the painting as Seurat intended.
I love art that is an artist’s reaction to the world God created and to the people He created to live here. We all depend on God’s creative hand in every tiny “dot” (aspect) of our lives. God created every color Seurat painted. He created our eyes to blend colored dots so that we see the artist’s depiction of a real scene in a park that has plants and water and people God created. When we imagine what these people are thinking as they enjoy the breeze coming off the river, as they feel the wind push their sailboats across the water, as they feel the touch of their companions, as we see the clothing that someone designed and made from fabrics someone designed and made, we see the hand of the Creator Who designed and made us.
Everything you teach your children originated in the heart of the Creator Who designed and made them.
I will give thanks to You,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
Psalm 139:14