"Our perceptions of Seurat have usually been shaped by several vast canvases of Parisians enjoying life - who can forget Bathing, Asnières? - and the radical technique of painting he pioneered - often known as `pointillism' or `Neo-Impressionism'. Following the Impressionists and fascinated by new theories on optics and colour, Seurat placed pure dots of colour beside each other directly onto the canvas, so they melded together in the viewer's eye rather than blending them on a palette."
"Coming from an affluent family, Seurat was relieved of some of the financial pressures that beset other artists, like Monet, in his early life. From 1885 until 1890, he was able to take himself off for the summer to the Channel coast, where he focused all his creative energies on the sea. He painted in Grandcamp in 1885, Honfleur in 1886 and Port-en-Bessin in 1888. Moving up the coast, he based himself in Le Crotoy in 1889 and Gravelines in 1890."
The Courtauld Gallery in London assembled 26 paintings, sketches, and studies by Georges Seurat, marking the first UK display of his work in 30 years. Seurat died aged 31 and left a small output that collectors often guard. From 1885–1890 Seurat spent summers on the Channel coast—Grandcamp, Honfleur, Port-en-Bessin, Le Crotoy, Gravelines—producing more coastal views than any other subject. Those seascapes make up roughly half of his oeuvre. Seurat developed a Neo‑Impressionist technique placing pure dots of colour side by side so they blend optically, and he juxtaposed complementary colours to intensify visual effects.
Read at London Unattached
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]