Best Artwork by Georges Seurat

French Impressionist artist Georges Seurat got his artistic education from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. After returning from military duty in 1879, the artist developed a new painting technique called Pointillism. It is a painting technique characterized by the application of small, distinct dots of color to create an image.  Seurat displayed his first major painting at the Groupe des Artistes Independants. Unfortunately, his artistic career was cut short by an undiagnosed illness, and he passed away at the age of 31.

Angelica at the Rock is a neoclassical artwork completed at the time that Seurat was studying at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. The painting was inspired by a 16th-century Italian poem titled Orlando Furioso by Ludovico Ariosto. Seurat’s artwork did not include the heroic knight who rescued the princess from the awful sea monster.

Bathers at Asnières was Seurat’s first monumental painting. It depicts people enjoying swimming in the Seine River. Factories expelling clouds of black smoke can be seen in the distance, which are symbols of working-class people. The canvas is of a suburban, placid Parisian riverside scene. Isolated figures, with their clothes piled on the riverbank, together with trees, austere boundary walls, and buildings.

The Can-Can, or Le Chahut, is the second artwork of the series of three paintings related to the circus. This artwork depicts a performance at the Moulin Rouge, a popular cabaret in Paris. The Can-Can is the name of a popular dance performed there.

The Circus was the last painting Seurat created before he passed away and was left unfinished. It is the third major painting in a series of artwork on the circus. This depicts a female performer standing on a horse inside Circus Fernando, now located near the Montmartre district in Paris.

Circus Sideshow, or Parade de Cirque, was the first of the three paintings that depicted the circus. The sideshow was in reference to the parade held outside the Circus Corvi at the Place de la Nation in Paris. This artwork later influenced the Fauvists and Cubists in the early 20th century.

A Corner of the Harbor of Honfleur, or Coin d’un Bassin à Honfleur is one of the six harbor views created by the artist in the summer of 1886. (pictured above) Honfleur is a port city on the southern bank of the Seine River. It’s considered to be one of his greatest works.

Models, or Les Poseuses, was the third of six major paintings created by the artist. This artwork depicts a nude model in three different poses. It was a response by Seurat to critics who thought his technique inferior, being cold and unable to represent life. Models is considered distinctive because of its pointillist technique.

A Sunday on La Grande Jatte is his most famous painting created using the pointillist technique. The artwork depicts many people having a good time at La Grande Jatte, an island on the Seine River. This large island is found in the northwestern suburbs of Paris and was a popular place to relax for the bourgeoisie of Paris.

View of Le Crotoy from Upstream is a painting depicting a scenic village in the northern part of France, in the Somme department of the Hauts-de-France region. The artist spent his summer months on the French coast creating small paintings and drawings. This is one of many paintings featuring dots on the wooden frame that are darker than those within the painting. The artist did this to make the artwork more colorful.

Young Woman Powdering Herself, or Jeune Femme se Paudrant, is an artwork depicting the artist’s mistress, Madeleine Knobloch. She is putting on her makeup. Since Seurat kept his relationship secret, it was only revealed when this painting was exhibited in 1890. Art historians believe Knobloch was pregnant with their son, Pierre-Georges Seurat, when this portrait was painted due to her larger size and fullness. She gave birth to Pierre-Georges Seurat one month before the 1890 exhibition of the painting.