Throughout his career, Milton Glaser has made a project of creating not-quite-faithful reproductions of the work of the masters he reveres: works after Giorgione, Degas, Monet, and Piero della Francesca are all part of his collection in the Glaser Archives. For “Milton Glaser after Seurat”, Glaser adapts the subject but not the technique. Glaser replaces the original’s dots with Push Pin-style thin black lines and broad swaths of bright, flat color (achieved with cello-tak in this, and many other, mechanicals from the time); yet, Seurat’s and Glaser’s slightly distorted figures are perfectly compatible, and Glaser does hit upon the conspicuously missing element – a comfy lawn chair. Overall, the effect is far sunnier. The art appeared on a 1977 invitation to a garden party for the legendary design stor Design/Research celebrating the “Le Jardin Summer Living Collection” (1977).

"Milton Glaser after Seurat” mechanical, c. 1977.
April 15, 2013