Bathing at Asniers (1883/84)
George Seurat (1859-1891)
National Gallery, London
Seurat was a rather dotty little fellow who painted happy, outdoor holidays while seldom leaving his own studio. An isolated child and reclusive adult, he worked alone behind closed doors.
When I saw this paintinig at the National Gallery, it was much larger than I'd imagined. In books, it seems stiff. But
in real life, it shimmers with Seurat's new technique of "pointillism"
-- tiny dots of unmixed color applied to white canvas. You can almost feel the still, heavy heat of the sultry summer day.
When Seurat exhibited this painting at the 1884 Salon de Refuse', it was so big and so strange they didn't know what to do with it.
Finally, they stuck it in a dark corner, literally, behind a door.
Pointillism never really caught on, but now we admire the precise dots that causes AR's skin to glisten...so warm, strong, sun-drenched, half-naked... Sorry. What was I talking about?
Click to see the real Bathing at AsniersClick image above to go to the next page, or choose a thumbnail below
to go directly to that FAMOUS ARt.
to go directly to that FAMOUS ARt.