Bathers at Asnieres by Georges Seurat
Georges Seurat's 1884 painting Bathers at Asnières, rejected by the Salon of 1884, offers a counterpoint to Pierre-Auguste Renoir's vision of middle-class leisure that is epic rather than intimate and formal rather than spontaneous. Part of a new generation that watched as Impressionism rose from notoriety to acceptance, Georges Seurat, in paintings such as Bathers of Asnières, sought what he believed to be a more rigorous approach through structure and color theory. Georges Seurat's Bathers at Asnières (oil on canvas, 79-1/8x118-1/8 inches) hangs at the National Gallery of London. |
On the next page, we'll see an example of how Georges Seurat used contemporary optical theories in his art.
For more on Impressionist paintings, artists, and art history, see:
