Post-Impressionism · 1859–1891 · French
Georges Seurat
Seurat set small dots of unmixed color side by side so they blend in the eye, a method drawn from the color science of Chevreul and Rood. Some of his yellows were zinc yellow, which has since darkened.
Across 4 works, the colors are mostly gray (34%), brown (29%) and blue (10%). On average the canvases are light, moderately saturated and warm. Signature colors, used far more here than across the collection: light lime yellow, muted crimson red, pewter, pigeon grey and light grey.
Color print
The swatches covering most of these canvases, averaged over every work, dark to light.
- MG 213 light grey 7.3% of canvas
- MG 214 pewter 7.3% of canvas
- MG 172 oatmeal 5.9% of canvas
- MG 208 pigeon grey 5.8% of canvas
- MG 215 grey 4.3% of canvas
- MG 173 putty 4.3% of canvas
- MG 216 dark grey 3.9% of canvas
- MG 171 bone 3.0% of canvas
- MG 212 pale grey 2.9% of canvas
- MG 181 light sand 2.7% of canvas
- MG 209 cool grey 2.7% of canvas
- MG 174 warm grey 2.6% of canvas
- MG 206 silver 2.5% of canvas
- MG 095 muted azure blue 2.5% of canvas
- MG 207 pale slate 2.4% of canvas
- MG 218 graphite 2.4% of canvas
Measurements
Composition
Averaged over 4 works: 56% of the visual weight in the left half, 53% in the lower half; symmetry 0.54; 21% calm space; half of the detail in 32% of the canvas. Measured from each image, not a rule the painters followed.
Works
- A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, 1884
- Bathers at Asnières, 1884
- The Models, 1886
- The Circus, 1891