“Finishing the hat”: it is the curse of the artist. Being an artist requires tremendous dedication and concentration; this often has a significant impact on artists’ relationships and personal lives. This idea is captured in Steven Sondheim and James Lapine’s musical Sunday in the Park with George, which explores the process of creating art and the resulting tribulations that artists endure in the pursuit of perfecting their craft. The musical is based loosely on French painter Georges Seurat and his piece A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. Accordingly, the story follows an artist named George as he works on this painting and as he navigates his relationships with other characters, particularly with his mistress Dot. Both…show more content… By the end of the first act, she has finally learned the art of concentration, indicated by her nod to the audience in the opening number of the second act. Concentration for Dot, however, is not the same as as concentration for George. For Dot, concentration means focusing on the present and being able to let go of the past, particularly regarding her relationship with George. Initially, Dot is smitten with George, but these feelings deteriorate over the course of the act as she comes to realizations about the finiteness of their relationship. The most significant example of this occurs during their duet “We Do Not Belong Together.” The number begins when Dot tells George that she is leaving France to go to America, but he does not react, which upsets her deeply. She laments that he only “care[s] about … things, not people,” and that he avoids relationships by “hid[ing] behind [his] painting.” This song serves as an emotional turning point for Dot, as she finally accepts that George is “complete” on his own, while she is not. Thus, they “do not belong together” and she has to “move on.” Her acceptance of the deterioration of their relationship shows that, through her interactions with George, she has learned how to concentrate, in her case meaning to let go of the past and focus on the
