AN APPRECIATION: Georges Seurat Georges Seurat is best known for his paintings in which small dots of color blend together to form a scene. The Neo-Impressionist artist created Pointillism (also known as Divisionism) towards the close of the 19th century. Although influenced by the Impressionists, Seurat's art combined elements of his classical training with contemporary scientific thought on color.
Seurat was born in Paris in December 1859, the youngest of three children. His family was prosperous but unconventional. Seurat's father was a former bailiff who had become wealthy through property speculation. His mother was from a well-to-do family that included a number of sculptors. However, while she and the children lived in a nice house in Paris, her husband spent most of his time living in a cottage in Le Raincy, visiting the family once a week. When Seurat was ten, the Franco-Prussian War broke out. The family temporarily moved to Fontainebleau during the Prussian invasion and the subsequent Paris Commune rebellion. Young Georges showed an early interest in art and began his formal study of the subject at the École Municipale de Sculpture et Dessin in Paris. There he studied under the sculptor Justin Lequien. Seurat continued his study at the prestigious Ecole des Beaux Arts (also known as the “Academy”) where he studied with Henri Lehmann, a former student of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. His studies here followed the traditional academic approach with much drawing of plaster casts. However, it is believed that while in the school's library, Seurat discovered works on optics and color theory that were to greatly influence his artistic career. At the same time, Seurat pursued his own independent study of art. He took lessons from the classical painter Pierre Puvis de Chavannes. He also made copies of works by the Old Masters, which he saw in the Louvre and other Parisian museums. In addition, he visited art galleries and exhibitions. One of the exhibitions Seurat saw was the Fourth Impressionist Exhibition. Seurat appreciated the brightness of the Impressionists' palettes. He also liked the fact that the Impressionists depicted modern life rather than the classical subjects that the Academy championed. However, Seurat did not become an Impressionist but rather incorporated some of the Impressionist ideas into his own approach to art. Seurat's art career was placed on hold for a year beginning in November 1879 so that he could perform his military service obligation. He spent this period in Breast filling sketchbooks in his free time. When he returned to Paris, Seurat shared a studio with his friend Edmond Aman-Jean. Although Seurat was to become known for his use of color, he spent much of this early period trying to master monochromatic drawing. As a result, the first work that he exhibited at the Paris Salon (the prestigious annual government art exhibition) in 1883 was a portrait drawing of Aman-Jean done in Conte-crayon. Seurat's next project was a monumental painting “Bathers at Asnières.” Following the lead of the Impressionists, the subject was a scene from modern life - - working class men relaxing by the river. However, whereas the Impressionists were interested in spontaneity and capturing transitory moments, Seurat sought to capture what was eternal and permanent in life. Therefore, Seurat carefully planned out the painting, doing numerous drawings and oil studies. While Seurat was yet to develop his Pointillist style, the painting signals his interest in color. He used bright colors similar to the Impressionists, combining them in contrasts and harmonies reflecting contemporary scientific thinking on color. The picture was too radical for the Paris Salon and was rejected. Therefore, Seurat exhibited it with the Groupe des Artistes Indépendants in May 1884. However, he soon became disenchanted with this group and together with several other young artists he formed the Société des Artistes Indépendants. Seurat met Paul Signac at one of the Societe's exhibitions. Signac was very impressed by Seurat's work and was also very interested in contemporary color theory. Together the two artists developed Pointillism, in which the painting is made up of small dots of color. When seen from a slight distance, the dots blend together in the viewer's eye to produce colors that are more pleasing than if the constituent colors were mixed on the artist's palette. They also produce better gradation giving the work more luster. Through Signac, Seurat met Camille Pissarro, one of the leaders of the Impressionists. Pissarro was so impressed by Seurat's scientific approach to painting and color that he abandoned the Impressionist approach (albeit temporarily). Pissarro also tried to persuade the other Impressionists to do the same but without success. Pissarro did manage, over the objections of some of the other Impressionists, to have Seurat and Signac included in the Eighth Impressionist Exhibition in 1886. Seurat's masterpiece “Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jatte” was the talk of the exhibition. Another monumental canvas, the subject was a popular park on the outskirts of Paris frequented by people of all classes. In preparation, Seurat had made numerous trips to the park and had done many studies carefully planning the composition. Unlike “the Bathers,” this picture was done in the Pointillist style. While the painting was attacked by some critics, it served to attract attention to Seurat's work. Among those who became interested in Seurat was art dealer Paul Durant-Ruel who had played a significant role in popularizing the work of the Impressionists. Durant-Ruel began showing Seurat's work both in Paris and New York. Despite his growing success, Seurat was not a man to stand still. He became friends with a number of Symbolist artists while also becoming interested in posters. To the dismay of Pissarro and Signac, Seurat's work became more stylized and his palette more muted. In 1889, Seurat became romantically involved with model Madeleine Knobloch. The two started living together and she gave birth to their son in early 1890. Seurat was one of the organizers of the Eighth Salon des Artistes Independents in 1891 and exhausted himself working on the project. He became ill and died at his parents' house on Easter Sunday 1891. A few days later, his young son died of the same undiagnosed illness. See our profiles of these other Post Impressionists
Emile Bernard Paul Cezanne Paul Gauguin Henri Toulouse Lautrec Odlion Redon Henri Rousseau George Seurat Paul Signac Vincent Van Gogh See our profiles of these Impressionist artists and members of their circle.
Frederic Bazille Eugene Boudin Marie Bracquemond Gustave Caillebotte Mary Cassatt Paul Cezanne Edgar Degas Henri Fantin-Latour Eva Gonzales Paul Gauguin Armand Guillaumin Edouard Manet Claude Monet Berthe Morisot Camille Pissarro Pierre Auguste Renoir Alfred Sisley Suzanne Valadon Victor Vignon |
Above: Seurat's masterpiece “Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jatte.”
Above: The first work that Seurat exhibited at the Paris Salon was a monochrome portrait drawing of his friend Edmond Amon-Jean.
Below: Seurat's monumental work “Bathers at Asnières” reflected his interest in color theory. Although not originally done in the Pointillist style, Seurat returned to the painting later and redid some portions in that style. Above: The model for "Jeune femme se poudrant" was Madeleine Knobloch, the mother of Seurat's son.
Above: "The Seine and la Grande Jatte – Springtime"
Seurat's later work focused on nightlife and became more stylized.
Above: "Le Chahut" Below: "The Circus", the last work Seurat exhibited. |
Artist appreciation - Georges Seurat