Updated February 29, 2016

George Seurat 1859-1891

Neo-Impressionist/Pointillism/Divisionism

In the vertical art storage rack you will find the following reproductions and posters: Large reproductions:

• A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (oil sketch) • Le Cirque (The Circus) (final painting)

Posters: • The Art Elements & Principles posters to use in the discussion In the black cabinet you will find a white binder with a copy of this presentation and any additional prints for discussion. There is also a book you can reference called Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists: George Seurat.

George Seurat

Art in the Classroom North Stratfield School

Personal Information Name: George Seurat Born: December 2, 1859 in Paris, France Died: March 29, 1891 in Paris, France Lived: Seurat lived in and around Paris most of his life. For the two years from 1870-1871, his

family lived in Fontainebleau. From the mid 1880’s until his death in 1891, Seurat spent his summers in Normandy on the northern French coast, and his winters in Paris. He was a very private individual who kept to himself and apart from other painters.

Family: His father Chrysostome-Antoine Seurat and mother Ernestine Faivre were middle class parents. George had a sister Marie-Berthe and a brother Emile. He fell in love with his model Madeleine Knoblock and had a son Pierre George who was born on February 16, 1890. Due to his extremely private nature, little is known about Madeleine or their son.

Elements of Art

Note to Presenters: When looking at the artist’s work, keep in mind the Elements of Art: the line, shape, color, form, and texture. This laminated print is available to bring into the classroom, it shows and describes all the things that go into making a work of art and can be shown to the children so that they may keep these things in mind as they look at the paintings.

Artist Background George Seurat was a shy young man. He kept to himself, apart from other painters, scarcely sold a painting in his life, and died at age thirty-one. Yet he left one of the most famous paintings in the world. Seurat was born in Paris, the son of a bailiff, who was an odd-looking character with a hook in place of the hand he had lost in an accident. The family lived in an apartment in Paris, but Papa Seurat visited it only once a week, spending the rest of his leisure time in a villa outside the city, where he had a private chapel. The whole family was united, however, during the bombardment of Paris, 1870-1871, and lived together in Fonatinebleau.

George Seurat

Art in the Classroom North Stratfield School

After the war the young Seurat attended the Beaux Arts, the academic art school of Paris, where he studied with a pupil of Ingres, learning to draw “lines and lines,” and working almost entirely in black and white. He made no great mark in the school and ranked only forty-seventh when he left at the end of two years. Apparently it was after that, from 1882 until he died nine years later, that he devoted himself wholly to the mastery of color. At school he had learned to draw lines. Now he began to make drawings which had no lines, only varying tones of color. Seurat died at thirty-one of a septic sore throat. Only ten days before his death he visited the Group show where his picture Le Cirque was hung. He watched Puvis de Chavannes, at that time probably the most popular and the most painter in Paris, pass by the Seurat picture without even glancing at it. At the time of Seurat’s death all of his paintings still hung in his studio, unsold – seven large pictures and forty small ones. Even as late as 1900, La Grande Jatte brought only 900 francs. An American collector, John Quinn, gave Le Cirque to the French Government, which accepted it, unenthusiastically. Style and Technique Definition of his Artistic Style: Neo-Impressionist/Pointillism/Divisionism – An offshoot of Impressionism. It utilized a main theme of Impressionism in that paint was used in its true color, straight from the tube, but here instead of blending the colors on the canvas, the paint was applied in small dots, strokes, shapes, etc. The eye was required to blend the colors. Another main difference from Impressionists is that paint was applied slowly and methodically to produce the proper effect. --------------------------------------------------- The effects of Seurat’s schooling were apparent in all his work. He was trained by copying the paintings of the masters that hung in the Louvre. He would draw, redraw and draw again the painting that that he would ultimately complete. Many studies were created. The nature of his style was slow and deliberate. Unlike the Impressionists who worked very quickly, Seurat would often sketch out drawings of his models so that they would not have to wait while he searched for the correct color. He studied color theory. He studied the subjects that he painted. He worked out all the details of the painting. He has been called scientific. He developed a specific color wheel based on the fragmentation of light and limited himself to the colors of the spectrum. He worked out careful compositions that fused design and color. Like many others, Seurat painted the world around him – Parisian figures, landscapes, sunshine, and light effects. But he was not interested in capturing a fleeting moment. (Note: Remember Impressionists wanted to capture an exact moment and make it a lasting impression so they worked very fast.) He wanted permanence and exactness and he developed that into a science. Seurat developed a completely new method of painting often called Divisionism or Pointillism. His paintings were made up of small dots, squares, triangles and other shapes. Each of these dots was of a

George Seurat

Art in the Classroom North Stratfield School

pure color. When looked at up close, the paintings look like spots of color. When looked at from a distance, the image comes clearly into view. Many complained that the works seemed “fuzzy” or “messy,” or just plain not very good. But some really liked his work and felt that it was highly artistic and complex. It is amazing to view one of these paintings and wonder how he ever started. How did he know that the combination of these 2, 3, 4 or more colors would create the illusion of a dress in the shade? Unfortunately, Seurat was not an immensely popular artist during his lifetime. He was, however, influential to many famous painters who followed him – Signac, Pissarro, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Lautrec. Famous Artwork: Seurat’s extremely short life resulted in a limited number of paintings. He is known to have finished seven large paintings, and 60 smaller ones, but he produced as many as 400 drawing and several sketchbooks. His most famous paintings include: Bathing at Asnieres, Sunday Afternoon on The Island of the Grande Jatte, The Models, The Slide Show, and Le Cirque (The Circus). Featured Artwork (Presenter may select from any or all of the featured works) General Questions • What do you think is going on in this painting? Let's create a story about this painting. • How does this painting make you feel? • Do you think this picture is beautiful or not? • Why do you think Seurat painted this picture? • Can you tell anything about the people by their clothing? A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884–86) (“Oil sketch” on canvas used as a reference for the final painting)

This painting is called an “oil sketch.” This smaller sketch was used by Seurat to help him work on the final large version of this painting. In terms of size, this painting is 1.5 ft x 2.5 ft where as the final painting is closer to 7 ft high x 10 ft long. The subject of this painting is of a Paris park on a sunny afternoon. Most people in the painting are facing the water and are watching others fishing or boating on the river Seine. Large areas of sun and shadow cover the painting. This study resembles the final version in color and composition, but not in size or the method

George Seurat

Art in the Classroom North Stratfield School

of application of the color. In this study, the color is overlaid in crisscrossing lines that are approximately an inch long. This creates a less stiff appearance than the final version. Show: Print in binder – the final version of A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte

Show: Print in binder – comparison of the sketch and the final version (detail of man in grass)

Ask: What do you think about the difference? Ask: Why do you think he made a sketch before he painted the final version? Talk about using the sketch as a rough draft. Seurat liked to makes sketches so that he could refer to them when he worked on the final painting. This allowed him to spend lots of time looking back on the sketch so that he could pay close attention to details.

George Seurat

Art in the Classroom North Stratfield School

Use the Elements of Art for further discussion: Color • What kinds of colors did Seurat use? (Cool colors – blue and green? or warm

colors – red, yellow, orange?) • Are the colors distinct or are they blended together to form a softer look?

(While the actual colors on the canvas are distinct, the effect is that of a blending.)

• Do you see sunlight in the painting? Where? (The bulk of the foreground is in shadow, so the remaining 2/3 of the painting is mostly sunny)

Shape • What shapes do you see? (Curves, circles, rectangles, straight lines, cylinders) • What shapes are repeated in the painting? (Umbrella curves – they also mirror

the sail on the boat, straight lines of the trees) Texture What kinds of textures are depicted in the painting? (Due to the nature of this

study, the textures in the painting are not fabric, grass, tree, etc. The texture is created more by the actual paint)

Line • Does Seurat’s use of lines create tension in the painting? (No. The figures are arranged in a way that suggests order and calm.)

• Do the lines that Seurat used draw your attention to any one area of the painting? (Not particularly. The main focus of the painting is the center where the woman with the red umbrella stands holding the hand of her child who is the only purely white item in the painting)

• Are the lines clean and hard or soft? (Very soft due to the method in which the paint is applied.)

• In what direction do most of the lines run? (Up and down. The trees, and most people are standing stiffly upright. Only the shadows go horizontally)

• Is the painting highly detailed or not detailed? (Actually it is both – The foreground appears less detailed as the brush strokes are larger. The trees and sailboats appear to be in sharper detail.)

Light • What kind of light is Seurat showing? (Natural) • Where is the light coming from? (It is a bright sunlight, and the source is from

the right side of the painting.) Space • Identify items in the…

Foreground: The objects and ground that are “before” or in front of everything else in the picture. (All people and animals in the shadow area) Middle ground: The objects and ground in a picture that are mid-distant, in front of the background. (Primarily the people up to the tree that is just right of center) Background: The farthest away objects in a picture, usually near the top of the picture plane. In a landscape it is the sky and the farthest land.

Composition Is the painting balanced? (Yes, the painting is in harmony. There is no area of the painting that is empty of subject matter, and no particular tension exists)

Le Cirque (1891) (Oil on canvas)

George Seurat

Art in the Classroom North Stratfield School

The Circus is famously known as Georges Seurat's last painting. Its subject matter is that of the circus, which was very common towards the end of the 19th century. The fantastic acts and performers inspired artists all over France. Such performers often included giants, elephants riding cycles and daring acrobatic acts. Circuses were very respected during that time and not surprisingly there were five permanent circuses in Paris that performed every night. This popularity resulted in many famous paintings and stories being created. Seurat's The Circus is one of such works. Although unfinished, Seurat's The Circus captures the emotion and movement of one portion of a circus scene. The clown at the front of the piece stands out with white make-up-clad skin against scarlet hair and dress. The smartly dressed ringmaster to the right is placed just in front of a crowd of clowns and an acrobat who is jumping in front of him. The focal point of the piece is the young

woman who is boldly riding the wild white horse to the left-center of the work. The performer could possibly have been one of the circus world's most prolific acts of the time: Mazeppa's ride. The entire piece contains a great deal of action but perhaps the most eye-catching is this daring act. Use the Elements of Art for further discussion: Color • What kinds of colors did Seurat use? (Cool colors – blue and green? or warm

colors – red, yellow, orange?) Seurat's use of red and yellow in the piece has given it an overtly orange glow.

Shape • What shapes do you see? (Curves, circles, rectangles, straight lines, cylinders) What shapes are repeated in the painting? (curves of the stands and the ring, the scarf in the clown’s hand and the arc of the performers body)

Texture • What kinds of textures are depicted in the painting? The artist's painting comprises of tiny dots of primary colors, which are placed in close proximity to each other to create a third color at a certain viewing distance

Line • Does Seurat’s use of lines create excitement and activity in the painting? (Yes the angles of the performers bodies and the curves of many of the elements he painted make this a very busy scene

• Do you see anything in this painting that looks like it was painted by making the brushstrokes go upward? Upward stokes equate to excitement to those that are viewing them. The Circus is full of upward strokes towards the front of the painting, where the majority of the action is taking place. The clown’s and the horseback rider’s hair. The horseback rider’s skirt.

• Do any lines in this painting make you feel calm? For Seurat's theories,

George Seurat

Art in the Classroom North Stratfield School

straight lines denote calm and these lines appear only in the rows of seats towards the back of the painting. Here the audience calmly watches the grand spectacle in front of them.

Light • Where is the light source in this painting? • Is it a natural light source? As this is most likely an evening scene there is no

natural lighting but unseen light at the top of the picture bathes everything below it in a familiar orange glow. For figures who are brightly glad this glow is less discernible, but for those wearing darker colors it reflects off of their darker garments.

Space Identify items in the… Foreground: The objects and ground that are “before” or in front of everything else in the picture. Middle ground: The objects and ground in a picture that are mid-distant, in front of the background. Background: The farthest away objects in a picture, usually near the top of the picture plane.

Composition Is this painting balanced? Yes! Composition is perhaps the most important aspect of the work and is separated into two very distinct portions. The front section is denoted by activity, whilst the back section is for the docile spectators looking on. Both are given almost equal measures of the canvas but for entirely different purposes.

Activities to Try at Home Use the eraser at the end of a pencil and an inkpad to paint a picture. What can you make using only dots? Resources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Seurat http://www.artble.com/artists/georges_seurat/paintings/the_circus Art A History of Painting – Sculpture – Architecture, Volume II. Frederick Hartt, Prentice-Hall, 1985. The Shorewood Collection: Art Reference Guide, Shorewood Fine Art Reproductions, Sandy Hook, CT, 1985. The Shorewood Collection: Artist’s Biographies, Shorewood Fine Art Reproductions, Sandy Hook, CT, 1985. “George Seurat Biography,” www.abcgallery.com/s/seurat/seuratbio.html “George Seurat Biography,” www.si.umich.edu/chico/emmerson/seurat.html “George Seurat,” WebMuseum, Paris, www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/seurat “George Seurat,” The Art Institute of Chicago, www.artic.edu/artaccess “George Seurat,” The Artchive, www.artchive.com/artachinve/s/seurat.html