'Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte' is the iconic work of Georges Seurat's brief, meteoric career. While the neo-impressionist left behind many fine works-and even managed to sway the brilliant Camille Pissarro to Pointillism, for a year or two-it is for his massive study of people and animals delighting in a sunny, lakeside day that he is known.
The original is in permanent residence at The Art Institute of Chicago. Yet it is my hometown of Columbus that offers a living, breathing, multi-dimensional take on the famous painting. The Topiary Garden in Old Deaf School Park--tucked away in a quiet corner of downtown--is one of a kind: it is the only example of a painting rendered in greenery.
There are 4 1/2 dozen topiary people (considerably taller than life-size), pets, boats and a (real) lake. You see the painting from the view of the painter, and it is extraordinary. It is the only place in the world where you can walk through a painting, interacting, as it were, with boaters, umbrella'd women and even a monkey.
I have, indeed, walked through the park on a Sunday afternoon. I have also been there late at night,in the off season, walking back to a friend's house after an evening at the museum.Winter denudes it of its lushness, and the forms show through, giving it a haunting beauty.During Spring and Summer it is, naturally, the scene of weddings, work-day lunches and intimate chats.It is both a neighborhood park and the only tourist destination of its kind on the planet.
It is set to go into its annual seasons of beauty. It will be at its peak for the next few months. If you happen to be passing through Ohio, it is well worth a diversion.I hope to visit it myself the next time I go home as, for me, it is a symbol of the uniqueness of my beloved city.
Check it out online at: topiarygarden.org
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