Seurat -- The Complete Collection of World-Famous Painters

Author: He Zhengguang, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Georges Seurat (1859—1891) and Paul Signac (1863—1935) were the initiators of Pointillism (Neo-Impressionism). Seurat lived only 32 years. From 1883 to 1886, based on his new color theory, he painted oil paintings with Pointillist characteristics. After being rejected by the Salon, his works were exhibited at the "Society of Independent Artists." In 1884, Seurat, along with a group of young painters, founded the "Society of Independent Artists," which did not require reviews of artworks. His representative work, and one of the most typical examples of Pointillism, is Un Bonheur de Printemps (1886). After 1887, Seurat increasingly focused on using forms to express his ideas and emotions, giving his works a strong rational spirit and reflecting a certain tendency toward formalization. Important works from this period include La Chute de la Neige (The Fall of Snow), La Parade (The Parade), and Les Saltimbanques (The Acrobat). Georges Seurat is a key figure in French Pointillism. He lived only 31 years, and it is rare for an artist to form his own style and gain fame at such a young age. Seurat's paintings, based on dots, applied scientific color analysis and visual effects to his creative process, pursuing a sense of color. He arranged small dots side by side on the canvas, with countless tiny dots forming a solid, densely packed surface, like coral, creating a tranquil form that contracts visually, producing a dazzling effect of light and color, demonstrating astonishing visual analytical power. Seurat's painting style is also known as Pointillism. Representative masterpieces include the monumental oil paintings A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, The Bather, and The Bathing at Asnières, which excellently depict the shimmering of light and a serene atmosphere. In the history of modern painting, Seurat is recognized as a pioneer.