(Paris 1859-1891)
Georges Pierre Seurat, a French painter and one of the fathers of Neo-Impressionism, also known as Pointillism. Coming from a modest family, he began drawing at a very young age under the guidance of the sculptor Lequien. Later, he entered the school of fine arts, in Lehman's workshop, whose theories remained faithful to the classicism of Ingres. Gifted with a positive spirit and precocious intelligence, Seurat became interested in the research of light theorists, whose findings he tried to apply to painting.
The ports of Brittany and Normandy, which he would frequently visit throughout his life, inspired most of his landscapes.
He participated in the founding of the Salon of Independent Artists, where a group of painters (Paul Signac, Cross, Van Rysselberghe, Luce, Petitjean, Dubois-Pillet) gathered, who would receive the influence of the artist, and who would be called "divisionists," "neo-impressionists," or "pointillists." After a period of experimentation with possible painting techniques, Seurat adhered to the laws of "simultaneous contrast," discovered by Chevreul, which postulated the exaltation of light through the use of shadows, as well as the mutual contrast between opposing values. In this way, pushing the impressionist experience to its extreme limits, Seurat painted using isolated touches, and instead of reproducing the effects of light, he limited himself to capturing forms reduced to their essential characteristics.
The technical aspects of his work notably influenced the Fauves, while his rigorous theoretical studies would attract the interest of the Cubists. In the brief period of seven years, he created his most important works: Bathers (1884, Tate Gallery, London) stands as the first creation of this series.
In 1886, he participated in the eighth exhibition of Impressionist painters, where he sent his masterpiece A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (Art Institute of Chicago). Exhausted by intense work, he died at the age of thirty-one, leaving behind many sketches and drawings. The latter constitute a very important aspect of his work.
Georges Pierre Seurat, a French painter and one of the fathers of Neo-Impressionism, also known as Pointillism. Coming from a modest family, he began drawing at a very young age under the guidance of the sculptor Lequien. Later, he entered the school of fine arts, in Lehman's workshop, whose theories remained faithful to the classicism of Ingres. Gifted with a positive spirit and precocious intelligence, Seurat became interested in the research of light theorists, whose findings he tried to apply to painting.
The ports of Brittany and Normandy, which he would frequently visit throughout his life, inspired most of his landscapes.
He participated in the founding of the Salon of Independent Artists, where a group of painters (Paul Signac, Cross, Van Rysselberghe, Luce, Petitjean, Dubois-Pillet) gathered, who would receive the influence of the artist, and who would be called "divisionists," "neo-impressionists," or "pointillists." After a period of experimentation with possible painting techniques, Seurat adhered to the laws of "simultaneous contrast," discovered by Chevreul, which postulated the exaltation of light through the use of shadows, as well as the mutual contrast between opposing values. In this way, pushing the impressionist experience to its extreme limits, Seurat painted using isolated touches, and instead of reproducing the effects of light, he limited himself to capturing forms reduced to their essential characteristics.
The technical aspects of his work notably influenced the Fauves, while his rigorous theoretical studies would attract the interest of the Cubists. In the brief period of seven years, he created his most important works: Bathers (1884, Tate Gallery, London) stands as the first creation of this series.
In 1886, he participated in the eighth exhibition of Impressionist painters, where he sent his masterpiece A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (Art Institute of Chicago). Exhausted by intense work, he died at the age of thirty-one, leaving behind many sketches and drawings. The latter constitute a very important aspect of his work.
