Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle
Vol. 5: La Grande Moose (1961)
Scene from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986)
Of all of Seurat's works, none has captured the imagination of the contemporary American audience like Sunday in the Park in Grande Jatte. The combination of satirical humor with innovative style makes this painting an American favorite. Grande Jatte was Seurat's first Pointillist work, and this innovative technique compliments the content of the painting nicely. The red-green color contrasts as well as the multitude of perpendicular lines make the painting visually appealing. The complex arrangement of the 50-odd figures in Grande Jatte keeps the viewer entertained and engaged. The meaning of the painting, a social satire of the upper classes, is easy to grasp on one's own and is a theme that is well known to Americans.
In 1961, the animated television show "Rocky and Bullwinkle" included a humorous adaptation of the painting.
In 1984 famed composer and lyricist Steven Sondheim wrote the painting-inspired musical "Sunday and the Park with George". The play contains a light, humorous story about Seurat and serves to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the creation of the painting.
In 1986, director John Hughes depicts Ferris Bueller and friends entranced by the painting in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off".
In the summer of 2004, the Art Institute of Chicago presented an exhibition entitled "Seurat and the Making of La Grande Jatte."
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