Art as we know it today has been extremely evolved, and modernized. Though it is always constantly changing and evolving amongst artists, history for the modern age is not as interesting as history for someone like George Seurat for example. George Seurat was a French artist who started out learning how to draw by referencing plaster casts, and still lives. Seurat jumped right into the artistic world straight out of his studies, from which he used the impressionistic look for colors, in which he displayed his well done landscapes. Fast forward to a couple years later, around the 1879 time period Seurat met a well-known artist such as Claude Monet. There, Monet introduced bright colors and loose brush strokes, along with the different interpretations of the artwork creating the Impressionism movement. Last came one of Seurat’s most influential meetings, Henri-Edmond Cross, and Paul Signac. Together Seurat and Cross co-founded an independent artist society that would allow artists to see light of another movement that they themselves introduced in 1884 called Neo-Impressionism. Knowing this about Seurat it is certainly different to learn about the evolution of how someone helped to influence the specific artistic movements as they were happening in real time.
Although this is the case, and he was so involved with everything that went on around him, George Seurat had the most influence on the Neo-Impressionist movement, or did he? This is the most arguable case for Seurat’s work. Some say that his work with Monet in the Impressionist movement was the most rewarding and easily recognizable because of his work with the loose strokes and bright colors. But the other side of the argument states that his work with Henri Cross and pointillism influenced the whole world. So which is it? The goal of this argument is to see exactly how much influence Seurat had on pointillism itself.
In order for one to fully understand this argument, it is important to know the context in which it is being told, so it is only fair to start from the beginning. As mentioned before, George Seurat was born and grew up in Paris with his family where his mother first introduced him to fine arts, with sculpture in 1870. As George got older he received informal painting lessons from his uncle, which would engage him in textiles as well. Seurat began his official schoolwork at the municipal art school in 1875, where he studied under the neoclassical painter Jean Ingres. The curriculum mainly focused on drawing and composition work, which included several sketches and drawings from Seurat’s biggest influences at the time. It was through his research on artists such as Holbein and Nicolas Poussin that he was greatly inspired to sketch the human figure. Though this was the case, Seurat also took a lot of interest in researching color theory and the compositions of colors. The seed for the idea that juxtaposing certain complementary colors could create the impression of another color was planted, and this discovery would be the base for Seurat’s artistic technique.
In 1879 Seurat met one of the most influential people of that time, Claude Monet. This was the first time he was able to experience an Impressionist exhibition, and witness Monet’s work up close. This meeting was significant to Seurat because Monet’s work further inspired George to keep researching color, and color theory. In addition to the inspiration of color, Seurat also took inspiration from Monet’s loose brush strokes and implied imagery (see image 1). A couple years later in 1884, Seurat joined with other artists such as Henri Edmond-Cross, Paul Signac, Paul Cezanne, and Van Gough, to create an exhibition that would showcase the Salon Des Independants. These artists were the “poster models” for the changing of the movements. Seurat and the others were in the midst of the Neoimpressionist to early post-Impressionism movements, and quickly became the society known to have complete artistic freedom. Seurat however took the lead on making this possible, with his experimented works on color theory and divisionism; he allowed confirmed the pointillism style. Thus making him one, if not the most influential artists of the time.
Moving forward George Seurat is known for most of his works, but there are some that stand out more than others. Looking through his works there are five pieces that stand out significantly, these works range from early experimental years all the way to the pointillism and post-impressionism pieces.
The first piece that is significant to Seurat’s career is Bathers at Asnières from 1884 (see image 2). This piece is one of many river scene landscapes for Seurat, as well as the first major large-scale composition piece. Since Seurat worked on this piece in 1884, George had not yet experimented with divisionism and pointillist techniques; thus allowing this piece to still have the color pallet of that in an Impressionistic painting. Seurat would sketch from live models out in parks and by the riverbanks, then proceed to use conté crayon on the canvas sketches to capture the image. This process was very painstaking process due to the amount of small oil sketches that were created (14 oil sketches, and 10 conté drawings (McKiernan, Mike. “Georges Seurat Bathers”)). The content of this piece implies that of the working life, there are eight different figures in this painting; two men in the water, four on the riverbank, and two out on a boat in the background of the image. “The figures on the bank lack facial features and seem isolated and detached from each other (half-asleep or lost in thought?). Their pasty undeveloped bodies clean clothing and white collars suggest they may be clerical staff or skilled workers from the nearby factories perhaps resting on their way home (McKiernan, Mike. “Georges Seurat Bathers”). “Paul Signac considered Bathers symbolized the conflict between alienated labor and capital — meaning the workers on the left bank; the middle class (the couple in the boat) have their backs to them and are escaping to the right bank to the safety of the shady tree (McKiernan, Mike. “Georges Seurat Bathers”).”
In looking at his work, Seurat would often touch on people and social classes in the community and use the riverbank of Paris to display the common ground amongst them. The next piece is very similar to Bathers, with the social context and environmental setting.
Seurat started piece two not long after he finished Bathers in 1884. He called the piece A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (see image 3) and took him two whole years to complete. Again Seurat paid very close to detail and would sketch from live models, unlike the first; George actually focused more on the juxtaposition of the colors, as one of his first actual pointillism pieces. Seurat included over forty members of the Paris community, this time showing full profiles. This piece features men, women, and children carefully depicting social classes amongst the canvas. The well-dressed folk are standing in the shade with their top hats and umbrellas; the soldiers are saluting the flag in the background. It has been implied that Seurat meant for the two pieces (Bathers and A Sunday Afternoon) to be connected with their social explanation, but with the amount of figures in the second painting and the lack of cohesiveness of the social figures, to officially state that the two are connected would be a folly. On the other hand, the second idea behind this painting was to depict the everyday energy that was created through the movement of all of the figures throughout the painting. Seurat wanted the image to capture the relativity of the energy of the figures to the energy of the pointillist marks made on the canvas. This piece is also special because Seurat put a frame around the image, which was very unique in paintings. The purpose would be to draw your eye back into the piece instead of running off, so one would hit the edge and follow it to get your eye back to the piece. This was not the last of the Jatte riverbank.
For the third piece Seurat once again returned to the Jatte, in 1888 he released his painting, La Seine à la Grande-Jatte (see image 4). In this piece George was not focused on the social and/ or political side of the community, instead he was focusing on the natural beauty of the landscape itself. Seurat experimented more with the color juxtaposition giving the illusion the colored dots are bigger than usual. This gives off a softer complex for the painting allowing the viewer to enjoy the relaxing and light image. Throughout this painting George keeps the color pallet true to the real contents. Since the dots seem bigger the image seems fuzzier to look at, but Seurat made this image intriguing and inviting through that concept. Eventually Seurat took a break from the landscape paintings and began to create more portraits.
The fourth piece that Seurat is most known for includes one of the only portraits of Seurat’s mistress. Young Woman Powdering her Face (see image 5) is a nice contrast to the landscape images that Seurat usually portrays. This piece was released in 1890 displayed Seurat’s increasing interests in other forms of expressiveness. This allowed for the experimentation with more contemporary styles and relationships with the work. Like A Sunday Afternoon, this piece also includes a border around the painting to allow for the focus to not only be on the woman, but to help hold her into a certain space. The dots are again closer together, making for a harsher and sharp look, as well as making the painting feels light and bright; George’s interest in pop art and symbolism really shown through due to the color choice, and the background he chose to portray. Seurat painted this with the risk of great controversy due to the content of the piece, because this is his mistress, he kept the painting in the dark for a long time. The last painting that will be discussed allows for a different view on Seurat’s thought process. This image has colors that seem muted and patterns to frame the piece.
The fifth and final painting that George is most known for is Circus Sideshow (see image 6). This is considered one of his most famous pieces due to the social setting the scene is taking place. This piece was release in 1887, and had a similar process to the paintings mentioned earlier. Seurat composed the image from on sight sketches, and really embraced the setting he was in. The image really encompasses patterns with squares, rectangles, ovals, and circles in the background; this allows the piece to have some structure within the piece. The figures that are included in the piece do not seem to mind social status, but because you see full profiles of the people it allows the viewer to understand the expression and emotion of the people portrayed. The colors in the piece are muted, and the dots are condensed to make the piece feel more heavy and compact. This image also feels as if Seurat framed the piece with the features instead of using an actual frame. The people in the foreground, and the patterned top in the background allow for the piece to feel rounded.
George Seurat kept creating beautiful pointillism pieces until his sudden death in 1891, thus allowing Paul Signac to become the “leader” of the Neo-Impressionist group. To conclude the argument statement, George Seurat was the most influential artist in the Neo-Impressionist era from the very beginning of his career, right to the very end. His compositions of the Jatte allowed for social controversies and political influences to arise, as well as displaying different ways one composition could be shown. If it was not for his determination and scientific curiosity for color and composition, divisionism and pointillism would not be what it is today. Seurat influenced and inspired so many big name artists such as Henri Cross, Paul Signac, and Van Gough because of his knowledge of color theory and relativity.