Georges Seurat's Sky

摘要

To artists inspired by what they see in nature, volcanic sunsets are the holy grail of light and color. They transform placid sunsets and post-twilight glows into vibrant bloodbaths of spectral radiance. Yet I'm not writing this to hang on the wall another volcanically inspired sunset painting for us to ponder. Rather, I want to introduce to observers a subtle and little-known daytime phenomenon linked to volcanic activity. It may have, in part, inspired 19th-century Post-Impressionist French artist Georges Seurat (1859-1891) in his attempt to reform Impressionism and illuminate the world with a new form of art: his own version of optical blending of color, called Pointillism.