Art and Melancholy

Reading about a recent exhibition of the drawings of one of the great post-impressionist, Georges Seurat, reminded me of artwork by another artist I recently viewed.

Some of the work in the Seurat collection was described as “dark, lacking of sunshine and luster.” Many of the figures in Seurat’s drawings were faceless. His drawings were said to reflect his “darker vision of modern life.” Many of his drawings were done with conte crayon on textured paper. A theme seen throughout most of this exhibition was the minimum amount of light used.

A recent exhibition at a museum in my home town reminded me of how art can influence the observer. A massive dark sculpture consisting of thousands of feet of painted rope was placed in the main entrance. This all imposing artwork is hard to miss. The visitor must move around the sculpture to get to their destination. The work is so huge it affects the light coming from outside. There are many dark shadows even on a sunny day due to the size of this sculpture. This artwork definitely creates a somber mood. I believe Seurat would have appreciated this work.