Few artists have managed to leave an impression on the world of art as Georges Pierre Seurat has. Born on December 2, 1859, in Paris, Seurat was a French post-Impressionist artist known for developing his unique style of painting called pointillism. He was initially taught to paint by a pupil of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, a renowned French Neoclassical painter, at the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris. He studied the works of early Italian and 17th-century French artists and then gradually began exhibiting his works. Many of his earliest works were drawings in Conté crayon (a particularly hard pencil made of graphite and clay) with subtle tonal gradation.
Later, Seurat went on to develop a painting technique known as pointillism. It involves the play of light using tiny brushstrokes or dots of contrasting colors to create subtle changes in form. Using this technique, the artist created several compositions. Seurat believed that the tiny juxtaposed dabs of colors he used to make his paintings look intense and luminous through optical blending as opposed to having the colors physically blended on the canvas.
Most of Seurat’s paintings had distinct simplified figure types and an enormous scale. He primarily used his structured style to depict modern urban life, scenes of nature, and quiet scenes from the village. Some of his works that got him a lot of recognition were “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte,” “Bathers at Asnières,” and “The Morning Walk.” A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, in particular, became extremely popular. It shows members of each of the social classes involved in various park activities. It took the artist two years to complete the painting. Most of this time was spent in the park sketching in preparation for the work.
In his short but influential life, Seurat produced seven major paintings along with 40 smaller paintings and sketches and 500 drawings. He was a private man and mostly let his work do the talking. He passed away in Paris on March 29, 1891, after a sudden onset of pneumonia.
Here, we have collected some of Georges Seurat’s best paintings. Sit back and enjoy these charming artworks.
1. “The Stone Breakers, Le Raincy”, c. 1882
2. “A Fisherman”, c. 1884
3. “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte”, 1884
4. “Black Cow in a Meadow”, c. 1881
5. “Casseur de pierres” (The Stone Breaker), c. 1882
6. “Bathers - Study for Bathers at Asnières”, 1883-1884
7. “Vase of Flowers”, 1878
8. “The Seine with Clothing on the Bank”, 1883-1884
9. “A Man Leaning on a Parapet”, c. 1881
10. “House at Dusk” (La Cité), 1886
11. “Sunset”, c. 1881/1882
12. “Grassy Riverbank”, 1881-1882
13. “Seascape at Port-en-Bessin, Normandy”, 1888
14. “House with Red Roof”, c. 1883
15. “Paysage avec Cheval” (Landscape with Horse), 1882
16. “Le Crotoy” (Downstream), 1889
17. “Men Laying Stakes”, c. 1882-1883
18. “White Dog”, c. 1884-1885
19. “La Charette attelée” (Harnessed Horse), c. 1883
20. “Stone Breaker and Wheelbarrow, Le Raincy”, 1882 - 1883
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