An analysis of Georges Seurat's famous painting, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, including where and when it was made, interesting details, and the techniques used to create a sense of stillness.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5–More an analysis of the painting than a biography of the artist, Burleigh's oversized volume explicates Seurat's well-known composition. Because the artist was a private man, little is known about his personal life; by studying the technique and subject matter of La Grande Jatte, the author makes inferences about his subject's life and work habits. He explains that the many croquetons (paintings on cigar boxes) and small studies executed as research for the final huge painting (7' x 10') show the artist's attention to detail. Seurat's artwork is compared to that of his contemporaries, and Burleigh interweaves a detailed look at the painting with facts about the time period, quotes from other artists, and information about Seurat's unique style. Throughout, the author does a thorough job of explaining Seurat's invention of pointillism without using technical terms. Easy-to-read, with large reproductions, this is a grand introduction.–Laurie Edwards, West Shore School District, Camp Hill, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Gr. 3-6. Like Action Jackson (2002), by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, this picture book for older readers focuses on a single painting to introduce an artist's life and work--in this case, Georges Seurat's La Grande Jatte. Burleigh begins with direct observations about the painting's size, pointillist style, and composition, dropping facts about Seurat's life into his discussion. The text is somewhat uneven. Sophisticated language about the artist ("he was--as a friend put it--'haunted by night's magnificence'") mixes with sometimes-cloying phrases aimed at younger children ("What do we notice first?") and the many handsome reproductions of the painting are occasionally lost in the book's binding. But Burleigh's accessible observations will encourage children to think about basic art principles (how colors work together; what harmony means in a painting) and to look, linger, and find the stories, or at least the questions, in artwork. There are no source notes, but a selected bibliography, a glossary, and a time line close this attractive title, which has been published in association with the Art Institute of Chicago. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic,
This review is from: Seurat and La Grande Jatte: Connecting the Dots (Hardcover)
The author has done a brilliant job crafting a book that appeals to elementary age students. I am an art teacher and used this as my primary resource when introducing Georges Seurat and Pointillism. There is just enough biographical information thrown in to benefit the students, but not so much it bores them. Fantastic examination of the painting and explanation of the process involved in making this piece. Wonderful!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Especially recommended for youngsters with a flair for art,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Seurat and La Grande Jatte: Connecting the Dots (Hardcover)
Robert Burleigh's Seurat And La Grande Jatte is a very different kind of children's picture book -- it is an appreciation of a classic painting, "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte - 1884", which was created with the remarkable art style of pointilism (painting with dots) by the talented and dedicated French artist Seurat. Details and reproductions of this remarkable work (as well as other compositions by Seurat), superbly background the scene it portrays and deftly enhances the narrative musings into the life of the hard-working artist which fill the pages of this marvelous children's book which is especially recommended for talented youngsters who themselves have a flair for art.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enticing Explanations,
By
This review is from: Seurat and La Grande Jatte: Connecting the Dots (Orbis Pictus Honor for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children (Awards)) (Hardcover)
I love this book, the way the author speaks to the reader in a confident yet casual tone, taking the reader on a pleasurable journey into the world of Seurat's painting, La Grande Jatte. We learn not only about the living conditions of most Parisians at that time, but also about the figures in the painting, what Seurat might have been trying to accomplish, how long it took him to paint his masterpiece, his thoughts on painting, and his style of painting. And although we learn a lot (in a very non-pedantic way), we're left with a sense of mystery and wonder. A superb book!
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