Review
Life is good when you're twelve years old, unless of course you're Georges. Between middle school vultures like Dallas Llewellyn, his dad's lost job, his overworked mother, and his
awful name (Georges without the S would be so much easier), life is a touch grim at the moment.
Georges is doing his best to adjust to the many changes in his life, but the necessary move from house to apartment isn't helping. Cognizant of that fact is Georges's father, who promptly hangs their Seurat poster (as in
Georges Seurat) in the same place above the couch as their old home, making Georges feel just a little bit better.
The "Sir Ott" as Georges calls it, not only brings comfort to him, but also pulses at the heart of
Liar & Spy. "What you can't tell from our poster is that the picture is painted entirely with dots. Tiny little dots. Close up, they just look...
Beyond the Book
The "Sir Ott" painting in which Georges takes so much comfort, is titled
A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by French Pointillist painter Georges Pierre Seurat (Here's a pronunciation guide). Seurat was born in Paris in 1859 and is widely known for founding the Neo-Impressionistic art movement and use of the pointillist technique.
Pointillism, the term used with respect to the work of Seurat, is the practice of painting patterns of small, distinct dots of pure color next to each other. When seen from a distance, the dots fuse to form images. The pointillist technique focuses on small, individual brushwork strokes which the viewer can't differentiate when looking at from afar.
