\paperw4500 \margr0\margl0 \plain \f1 French painter.\par
Considered the leader of the Neo-Impressionist movement, Seurat started to draw at a very early age and in 1878 enrolle
d in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. From the outset of his training, he showed a keen interest in the scientific problem of perception, which induced him to study a number of theoretical writings, including the \i Treatise on the Law of the Simultane
ous Contrast of Colors\i0 (1839) by the physicist M.-E. Chevreul. In 1879 he visited the third exhibition of the Impressionist group, which greatly influenced him. His early works were also strongly influenced by Jean-Franτois Millet, who inspired him t
o paint a series of views of the countryside and peasants at work between 1881 and 1883. In 1884 he exhibited his first significant work at the Salon des IndΘpendants, \i Bathers at AsniΦres\i0 (London, National Gallery), after it had been rejected by t
he official Paris Salon. The multiple influences on SeuratÆs work are already apparent in this painting: from Pierre Puvis de Chavannes and Camille Pissarro to the principles derived from the study of theoretical texts and the coloring of EugΦne Delacroi
x. At the exhibition in 1884 he met Paul Signac, with whom he formed a close friendship. Over the next few years a group of painters interested in the new Divisionist technique (including Camille Pissarro), gathered around Seurat and Signac.\par
SeuratÆ
s research reached maturity in the painting \i Sunday Afternoon at the Island of la Grande Jatte\i0 (1886, Chicago, Art Institute), considered the manifesto of Divisionism, also known as Pointillism. This painting was followed by a few, highly elaborate
masterpieces, for which he made studies and sketches from life: in 1888, \i The Models\i0 (Merion, Pennsylvania, Barnes Collection) and \i Circus Parade\i0 (New York, Metropolitan Museum); in 1890, \i Le Chahut\i0 (Otterlo, Museum Kr÷ller-Mⁿller); in
1890-91, \i The Circus\i0 (Paris, MusΘe dÆOrsay). The method of working adopted by Seurat, which started with observation from life and ended with the execution of the painting in his studio, is indicative of the distance that separated him from the Im
pressionists. SeuratÆs aim was to develop a ôscientificö language that would replace the ôempiricalö approach of the Impressionists. The new technique of Divisionism used by the painter was based on the application of pure colors in tiny brushstrokes in
accordance with the laws of simultaneous contrast formulated by Chevreul. To achieve his goal of a ôscientificö painting, Seurat conducted a twofold line of research: on the one hand, he experimented with a new method of applying the color, and on the ot
her hand, he adopted a rigorous structure of composition, based on traditional geometric and proportional rules of perspective. His research was also influenced by the studies of C. Henry, who argued in his \i Scientific Aesthetics\i0 that ôevery direct
ion is symbolicö and established associations between the expressive value of colors and lines. Following HenryÆs indications, Seurat emphasizes horizontal lines in the \i Parade\i0 so as to convey a sense of tranquillity, while he uses diagonal lines i
n \i Le Chahut\i0 and \i Circus\i0 to enhance the impression of movement and vitality in these compositions.\par
In 1891, a few days after the presentation of the \i Circus\i0 at the Salon des IndΘpendants, Seurat died unexpectedly at the age of thir
ty-two, leaving a great void in the French world of art. In 1899 Signac dedicated his book \i From Delacroix to Neo-Impressionism\i0 to his deceased friend, acknowledging SeuratÆs role as leader of the movement.\par
His work is of fundamental importanc
e to the history of modern painting, as it marked the surpassing of Impressionism and laid the foundations for the birth of the historical avant-garde movements that were to emerge in the first decade of the twentieth century.
