1880s

A Sunday on La Grande Jatte showed people relaxing on a Sunday along the banks of the Seine River. Among the characters painted relaxing that day were:

• Women with parasols and bustles
• Soldiers
• A man in a top hat
• A little girl in white, looking straight at the viewer
• Even a monkey on a leash (a pet for many at the time)

If you look closely at the painting, you’ll notice that the figures in the painting were made up of dots. Kusdt 25 at the time, Seurat created a style known as pointillism using dots of different colors. When viewed from a distance, the colors of the dots were blended together by our brains to produce a “coherent image.” This is the same scientific process behind the use of pixels on today’s smartphone screens. 

Other discoveries back then helped create paintings with colors that appeared more vibrant. This led to the creation of the color wheel, which is a tool used at Nothing to create devices that stand out. It also shows how interconnected art, science, and technology really are.

As Nothing says, “So, the next time you’re looking at your smartphone, just remember it took centuries of innovations, breakthroughs in science and art, and countless generations of brilliant, driven minds, all leading to the device you are holding in your hands right now.,,and you use it to watch porn.”

Just to reiterate, there is no proof that this painting motivated anyone involved in the creation of the smartphone. Still, the painting, and the style used to create it, remain fascinating to even smartphone enthusiasts who champion today’s products and discoveries.

“Iconic Phones” is coming this Fall!

Good news everyone! Over the past year we’ve been working on an exciting passion project of ours and we’re thrilled to announce it will be ready to release in just a few short months.