Urban Space in the 1880s and 1890s

Liam: Seurat's Neo-Impressionism

            “Some say they see poetry in my paintings, I see only science.” This quote by impressionist painter Georges Seurat shows us a different angle on how artists of the time created their masterpieces. While it is easily debatable that creating the numerous works of art of the era was both an art and a science, it is no doubt that Seurat had showed us something new that we as viewers can appreciate as innovative as well as scientific in its precision, but in that preciseness of his method do we see an elegance unto itself.

            George Seurat was motivated by an interest in optical and color theory, and had an ambition to bring science to the method of impressionism. Through this, he devised his own painting method that consisted of dividing color into their individual components. In Seurat’s time, it was called Divisionism, but today we call it “Pointillism.” This method used dots of paint comprised of complementary and contrasting colors placed side by side, and as a result achieved a visual effect meant for viewers to fully appreciate when standing back from the painting. The idea was that the rays of light from the individual colors would blend before they got to your eyes. While other artists would mix colors together on a palette to create the perfect blend, Pointillist painting uses to dots of different color together to achieve the perfect blend to create the perfect purple or green. Another perk of the Pointillist style was to achieve a unique radiance and luminosity to the painting. A good way to present that to the viewer is to look at the differences in color between what was exposed to the source of light in the painting and what was cast in shadow. This style of painting disrupted what was believed to be impressionist art at the time which was open brushstrokes, open contours and paintings created on site, or plein air.

            Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte is one of Seurat’s most lauded works. It can be viewed at the Art Institute of Chicago. It stands 6 ¾ feet high and 10 feet wide, and depicts an urban park on an island located on the Seine River and features Parisians relaxing by the water. In Seurat’s time, the island was a place where the Bourgeoisie (middle class) could procure prostitutes.

            An interesting aspect about this painting is that it is in stark contrast to the ephemeral nature of many other impressionist paintings of his day. The scene almost seems timeless and permanent, as opposed to fleeting and “moment in time.” The subjects of this painting each seem to be in their own thoughts oblivious to the artist capturing the scene. It should also be noted that the painting was created in a studio, and not at the site, as mentioned before. Yet, interestingly in the center of the painting, there is one subject who is looking directly at the viewer – the little girl. This brings to light one of the motifs of Seurat’s paintings. There is an element of mystery to what Seurat paints, almost to confound the viewer. We see the staring girl, the shadows on all the faces that defy the ray of light coming through the painting, and the woman holding a monkey on a leash. All these make us ask why, but the mystery is probably never meant to be solved, but admired. All of these features come together beautifully in Seurat’s unique Pointillist technique.

Seurat, Grandcamp, Evening, 1885

            Seurat’s Pointillist style inspired many parodies and imitations, like the last image which is Coastal Scene by Theo van Rysselberghe. Coastal Scene was painted in 1892, eight years after La Grande Jatte. What George Seurat created has stood the test of time and can be admired as both poetry and science.

Theo van Rysselberghe. Coastal Scene, 1892

Works Cited

Seurat, Georges-Pierre; A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, 1884-1885; Oil on Canvas; Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago IL.

Seurat, Georges-Pierre; Grandcamp Evening, 1885; Oil on Canvas; The Museum of Modern art, Painting and Sculpture; New York, NY.

Van Rysselberghe, Theo; Coastal Scene, 1892; Oil on Canvas; The National Gallery; London, England.

Nochlin, Linda. "Seurat's Grande Jatte: An Anti-Utopian Allegory." Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies (1988): 132. Print.

EXTRAS: 














More images of the urban:

Links from the Toulouse-Lautrec and Montmartre exhibition.