Seurat
Major Paintings
- Les Poseuses (LEFT)
- Chahut (RIGHT)
- Un Dimanche a la Grande Jatte (BELOW)
- Une Baignade, Asniers
- Parade de Cirque
- Cirque
Brief Time Line
- 1878 - Studied under Henri Lemann for 2 years who was a student of
Ingres
- Spent most of his time drawing and concentrated on the effects of light
(influenced by Delacroix
and his use of the color theory)
- 18884 - Gallery refused his painting, "Baignade". Seurat
showed his artwork with a group of independent artists. He met Paul Signac
to whom he explained his ideas.
- August 1886 - Felix Feneon used the term Neo-Impressionist for the
first time
- Seurat became the spokesperson for the Neo-Impressionists (a movement
which he began)
- Seurat and Signac were not accepted by the 'old' Impressionists
- March 29, 1891 - Seurat died at the age of 31 years old
- 1892 - First Show of the Neo-Impressionist paintings
About the Artist
Seurat had a very systematic and Cartesian mind. He, therefore, adapted
the colors and themes of the Impressionists, but wanted a more systematic
and scientific approach to painting than could be found in the Impressionist's
ephemeral treatment of his su bject. Seurat understood that a picture was
"an orderly structure made up of rythm, balance and contrasts"(1).
In order to satisfy his scientific nature, he studied the theory of color
(Rood, Helmholtz, Chevreul). He strived "for systematization of Imp
ressionist technique by reducing the many colors perceived in nature
to their component elements of pure color and by arranging these pure colors
on the canvas in tiny dots in such a way that the colors are blended on
the retina of the onlooker's eye"(2). This technique, especially evident
in his Un Dimanche a la Grande Jatte, was named Pointilism. (Click
on the Picture for a better look).
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to Impressionism Page
Article: Jennifer
King
Return to the Architectonic
freshman@princeton.edu.
May 25, 1996.