A Figurative Pointillist Painting After Georges Seurat’s “Sunday Afternoon…” by Brenda Joysmith

Details

Description

On offer is a monumental pointillism painting, a reinterpretation of “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” … Read more On offer is a monumental pointillism painting, a reinterpretation of “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” created a century earlier by French painter George Seurat, and likewise, both impressive in size and technique.
Brenda Joysmith is a celebrated American artist best known for her realistic and soulful portrayals of African American life. Beginning in the 1980s, she became one of the most visible Black artists in popular media. Her works not only appeared in the films “Philadelphia” and “Love and Basketball” as well as television series such as “The Cosby Show” and “A Different World,” but also have been collected by such notables as Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey and Roberta Flack.
As with this offering, Joysmith’s work often includes children at play, serene family moments, and introspective cultural portraiture designed to tell stories of resilience and community.
Instead of traditional long brushstrokes, Joysmith employed the unusual pointillist technique seen in Seurat’s picture. The image is formed by applying thousands of tiny, distinct dots of pure, unmixed color in specific patterns. When viewed from a distance, the viewer’s eye and brain "mix" these dots into a cohesive image. Rather like the pixels on the screen you are now viewing.
While fewer figures inhabit Joysmith’s work, she did reach for the inspiration’s monumental scale. “A Sunday Afternoon…” measures 121.25 inches wide by 81.75 high, while this piece is only slightly less spacious at 98.5 inches wide by 99 inches high.
Born in Memphis in 1952, Joysmith earned a B.A. in 1974 from the University of Chicago, followed by professional art studies at the California College of Arts and Crafts and the University of California Berkeley. She remained in Northern California for 25 years before returning to her birthplace.
Signature: Lower right corner (photo #9). Unstretched and unframed. See less