Georges Seurat: The Early Life Of An Artist

Assignment #1B – Research an Artist
Style and Artist
Style: Post-Impressionism
Artist: Seurat
Work of Art: A Sunday On La Grande Jatte (page 382)

The Early Life of the Artist
1. When was the artist born?
Georges Seurat was born on December 2, 1859. Georges Seurat. Dewey, II, Tom. Great Lives from History: The Nineteenth Century, September 2007, p1-3.
2. Where was the artist born?
Georges Seurat was born in Paris, France. Georges Seurat. Dewey, II, Tom. Great Lives from History: The Nineteenth Century, September 2007, p1-3.
3. Note any information you were able to find on the parents of the artist.
Antoine-Chrisostôme Seurat and Ernestine Faivre Seurat were Georges Seurat’s parents. His Dad was originally from Champagne
His explorations in color theory and painting methods over these years were intense. He studied several artists that he admired and thus they influenced his work. Artists such as Ogden Rood’s and his study on Modern Chromatics (1879), Puvis de Chavannese with his monumental symbolic paintings, Eugène Chevreul’s color theory on how light affects the primary colors and their complement colors. Using only black and white with Impressionism as the starting point, Seurat began to move away from the acceptable practices of the time period in regards to form using tonal contrast. His neutral position on imagery and a concern with scientific theory helped him push beyond the known standards develop a mastery approach to his work. In 1883, Seurat felt ready to begin working on his reputation as an artist and he exhibited his art for the first time at the official Salon, a state sponsored annual exhibition. He displayed portraits of his friend Aman-Jean and of his mother. During this time Seurat decided to take on a major painting. He still felt determined to elevate the recording of everyday city lifestyle to that of the noble subjects featured in the classical works in the museums. Seurat’s drive to regularize “Impressionist” painting methods to the height of the classical arts in the museums kept him focused and serious. He began his studies, sketches and panels for Une
Although it was rejected by the Salon it caught the attention of several artists, poets and critics. A Sunday on the Grande Jatte, presents a typical weekend or holiday scene along the Seine river bank. It shows middle-class Parisians enjoying a holiday or a work-free day out in the sunshine conversing, strolling, resting or even reading a book. He present them as lounging in the park, sitting quietly along the shore together but not facing each other, playing or running through the park with a dog but frozen at the same time. They are all outside silhouetted together but their faces are expressionless appearing like mannequins dressed in their formal attire. This is his first painting where he practices his new style “pointillism”. This method of painting is what drew the attention from the other artists, poets and art critics. By using little dots in a precise manner, he can take their pure color and achieve their best luminosity when viewed at the proper distance. (1) Georges Seurat. Pierre Courthion. Britannica Biographies, 1 March. 2012, p1, 2p Reading Level (Lexile): 1240. (2) Georges Seurat. Dewey, II, Tom. Great Lives from History: The Nineteenth Century, September 2007, p1-3. (3)