Grande Jatte I
Date1990
Mediumacrylic on canvas
Dimensions66 5/8 × 93 × 1 3/8 inches (169.2 × 236.2 × 3.5 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Weitzman Family.
Object number2017.1
Copyright© Estate of Murray Reich.
The images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextNew York-based artist Murray Reich likened artmaking to that of exploring and investigating, and as a painter he considered a canvas “a problem waiting to be solved.” Over his career, Reich explored optical color mixing and illusionistic space versus the surface, and how everyone’s own perception affects this balance.
In the 1980s–90s, Reich started creating the impression of depth by appearing to have surface layers with holes through them. In 1990–91, he made a series of paintings in which each surface layer paid tribute to a masterpiece he loved from the history of art. This painting, Grande Jatte I, is an example of Reich’s direct reference to pointillist painter Georges Seurat (1859–1891), namely his large-scale painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884–1886).
Subject MatterÎle de la Grande Jatte (Island of La Grande Jatte), Seine River, Paris, France
