Teacher's Discovery Traveling Exhibit
Georges Seurat
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Rosenberg Library 2310 Sealy Street Galveston, Texas 77550-2220 |
(409) 763-8854 fax (409) 763-0275 |
Rosenberg Library hosted a traveling exhibit featuring the artist Georges Pierre Seurat (1859-1890) from Tuesday, July 14th through Friday, August 28th,
2009. Seurat was a French painter and draftsman whose large work,
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte
(1884-1886), is one of the icons for 19th century painting. Designed
especially for children and families, three lightweight satin panels
explore his scientific technique which altered the direction of modern
art.
 Seurat was born to a prosperous Parisian family in 1859, and attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts when he was nineteen where he devoted himself to mastering the art of black and white drawing. In 1883, he completed his first major painting titled
Bathers at Asnieres. To his disbelief, it was rejected by the Paris Salon, and after turning away from such establishments he emerged himself among the independent bohemian artists of his city. In 1884 he and other artists formed the Societe des Artistes Independants. There he befriended Paul Signac, shared his ideas about pointillism, and began work on his masterpiece,
Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, which took him two years to complete.
Georges Seurat believed that science was a prominent theme and tool in painting. At this time the scientist, Michel Eugene Chevreul, was the most important influence on artists with his production of the color wheel of primary and intermediary hues. Chevreul discovered that two colors that slightly overlapped or were very close together would have the same effect as another color when seen from a distance. The scientific discovery of this phenomenon became the basis for Seurat’s pointillism. Pointillism is the technique of using dots to create brighter images and depth in an artwork.  Art critics were hesitant to accept such techniques, but pointillism was eventually acknowledged as part of the Post-impressionist movement. Seurat died at the age of thirty-one. The cause of Seurat’s death is uncertain, but has been attributed to a form of pneumonia and diphtheria. His last work,
The Circus, was left unfinished at the time of his death.
The Georges Seurat Traveling Exhibit is a joint project between the Museum and Children’s departments and is free to the public. Families are invited to join us on Friday, August 7th and Saturday, August 8th for our Georges Seurat Art Studio program. The event is sponsored by the Children’s Department and will be held at the Moody Mansion between 2:00-4:30 p.m. Children will have the opportunity to learn the technique of pointillism and create artwork of their own. For more information please call the Children’s Department at (409)763-8854 x119 or the Museum Office at (409)763-8854 x125. |