Georges-Pierre Seurat Essay

Introduction Georges-Pierre Seurat was a French Impressionist whose works included; Bathers at Asnieres, Circus, Eiffel Tower, Gray weather, and his most notable and largest piece, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. George-Pierre Seurat was born in France in 1859. Seurat began his career by studying at the “Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris under artist Henri Lehmann” ("Georges Seurat," n.d.), before adventuring out on his own. George Seurat was for the most part self-taught, only attending Ecole des Beaux-Arts for one year. He often visited museums, read about new techniques and studied the works of others. Seurat admired the works of Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro these artists and their techniques, particularly their use

Upon further review I was instantly intrigued by the technique in which it was created. Not a single brushstroke of what is commonly used in paintings but rather small perfectly round dots in vibrant yellows, greens, oranges, and blues. Small dots of color perfectly marrying together to form a single image. One could instantly imagine the painstaking hours and the amount of effort that went into creating such a beautiful piece. Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte depicts wealthy French citizens relaxing, playing, basking in the sun, lounging in the shade, as well as boating and playing in the cool water on a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon on the island of La Grande Jatte along the Seine River. The use of vibrant yellows, greens, oranges, and blues creates a sense of warmth, the sun bathing the figures in its glow. The darker blues and greens of the shadows created by the trees and figures creates a sense of cool, calm, and relaxation.

Analysis The painting achieves unity by use of proximity, creating a relationship between the elements by placing figures engaged in various activities closely