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Georges Seurat (1859-1891). Unidentified photographer. Wikimedia

Top 10 Intriguing Facts about Georges Seurat

Georges Pierre Seurat was a French post-Impressionist artist. He was born on 2nd December 1859 in Â鶹APP, at 60 rue de Bondy which is currently known as rue Rene Boulanger.

Together with his family, Georges moved to 136 boulevards de Magenta in 1862. He was born to Antoine Chrysostome Seurat and his mother, Ernestine Faivre.

His father was a former legal official who had become wealthy from speculating on the property and his mother was from Â鶹APP. Georges has two siblings, a brother, Emile Augustin and a sister, Marie-Berthe who were older than him.

Georges and his family never lived with his father who stayed in Le Raincy. Their father used to visit them once a week at their home in boulevard de Magenta.

Georges Seurat devised his painting technique known as chromoluminarism and pointillism. He used Conte crayons for drawings on paper with a rough surface. Seurat first studied art at the Ecole Municipale de Sculpture et Dessin before moving to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts.

There, Seurat followed conventional academic training, drawings from casts of antique sculpture and copying drawings from old masters. The formal education of Georges came to an end in November 1879 as he joined the military for one year.

Here are the top 10 Intriguing Facts about Georges Seurat:

1. Georges was Born Into a Well-off Family

Georges Seurat was born on 2nd December 1859 to Antoine Chrysostome and Ernestine Faivre. They lived at 136 boulevards de Magenta which is currently known as 110 boulevards de Magenta.

He was born into a well-off family and lived in the area lived by well-off people. The father of Georges was a former legal official. He became wealthy from speculating on property.

2. He Started Studying Art at the Age of 19

Georges Seurat 036. Author Georges Seurat.

Georges was much interested in arts and his parents supported him fully. He began studying arts at a very tender age.

Seurat first studied art at the Ecole Municipale de Sculpture et Dessin. This was near his family’s home on the boulevard. Sculptor Justin Lequien was the owner of this school.

In 1878, Georges Seurat moved to Ecole des Beaux-Arts where Henri Lehmann became his tutor. He started following conventional academic training.

Georges drew from casts of antique sculpture as he copied drawings by old masters. His studies resulted in a well-considered and fertile theory of contrasts.

3. Seurat Joined the Military for One Year

Georges Seurat continued with his formal artistic education which came to an end in November 1879. He had to leave Ecole des Beaux-Arts to take on another road.

He decided to join the military service for one year. Georges Seurat joined the Brest Military Academy for one year before returning to Â鶹APP.

4. Georges Mastered Monochrome Drawing after Military Training

Le Pêcheur (Fisherman). Author Georges Seurat.

After one year at Brest Military Academy, Georges returned to Â鶹APP and shared a studio with his friend Aman-Jean. He also rented a small apartment at 16 rue de Chabrol.

Georges went ahead to work on mastering the area of monochrome drawing for two years. In 1883, he held his first exhibit at the Salon. His first work was a Conte crayon drawing of Aman-Jean.

5. He Spent a Full Year Working on his First Major Painting

In the year 1883, Georges Seurat decided to work on his major project. He spent the whole year on his first major painting, which was a large canvas titled Bathers at Asnieres.

This was a monumental work showing young men relaxing by the Seine in a working-class suburb of Â鶹APP. This painting was influenced in its use of colour and light tone by Impressionism.

The painting had a smooth, simplified texture and carefully outlined rather sculptural figures which showed the continuing impact of his neoclassical training.

6. The Major Painting was Rejected Influencing Seurat to Set up a New Organisation

Georges was expecting a wild reception on his one-year work on Bathers at Asnieres painting. However, the painting was rejected by the Â鶹APP Salon.

Instead, Georges Seurat showed it at the Groupe des Artistes Independants in May 1884. This group of Indépendants was not been managed well and had poor running which made Georges opt-out.

Together with some other artists, Georges set up a new organisation known as Société des Artistes Indépendants. He was joined by the likes of Charles Angrand, Henri-Edmond Cross, Albert Dubois-Pillet and Paul Signac.

7. He Exhibited his Work at Several Exhibitions both Locally and Abroad

Georges Seurat – The Yorck Project. Author Georges Seurat.

Georges became a renowned artist in drawing from 1883 until his death. He exhibited his drawings and paintings in several exhibitions.

Some of his work was exhibited at the Salon, the Salon des Indépendants and Les XX in Brussels. He also exhibited his work at the eighth Impressionist exhibition and others in France and abroad.

8. Georges Concealed his Relationship with an Artist’s Model whom He Portrayed in a Painting

Georges Seurat – Models (Poseuses). Author Georges Seurat

Georges Seurat was also a family person who was seeing someone. He concealed his relationship with Madeleine Knobloch or Madeleine Knoblock.

She was an artist’s model whom Georges Seurat portrayed in his painting Jeune femme se poudrant. Madeleine moved in with Georges Seurat in his studio in 1889.

9. Seurat Painted Four Canvases in the Summer of 1890 after his Son’s Birth

After Madeleine moved in with Georges Seurat, the two lived happy life. Madeleine became pregnant which made the couple move from the seventh-floor studio to a studio at 39 passage de I’Elysee-des-Beaux-Arts, this is currently rue Andre Antoine.

She gave birth to their son on 16th February 1890 and named him Pierre-Georges. During the summer of 1890, Seurat spent his time on the coast of Gravelines.

Here, he painted four canvases including the Channel of Gravelines and Petit Fort Philippe. He also made eight oil panels and a few drawings.

10. Google Honoured Seurat with a Google Doodle in 2021

The life of Georges Seurat was so successful until his death. He passed on in Â鶹APP at his parent’s home on 29th March 1891 at the age of thirty-one.

His cause of death is uncertain as many attributed it to be a form of meningitis, pneumonia, infectious angina and diphtheria. The son of Seurat died two weeks later from the same disease.

After one hundred and sixty-two years, Google honoured Georges Seurat. On the second day of December 2021, Google honoured Seurat with a Google Doodle on what could have been his 162nd birthday.