GEORGES SEURAT - 13

 To wrap up our study of Georges Seurat's contributions to the world of art, it must be said that Seurat was known to be reserved and reclusive.  He never married, but he did have what my research finds to have been a common-law wife, Madeleine Knoblock....the lady he painted powdering her face.

Seurat faced personal challenges throughout his life, just like we all do.  He gave of himself to create the meticulous and time-consuming painting technique we know was Pointillism...painting a picture with small dots or strokes of color.  

What is Pointillism?  "When the viewer approaches the painting, they find that the subjects become an array of dots.  It is an unexpected and delightful surprise that reveals the role of human intelligence in perception.  The science behind pointillism lies in how various colors interact with each other and how our eyes perceive them."  This was Seurat's own "scientific" style.  It's another example of one person following his own, novel path, and in doing so, giving the rest of us new insight into art.  Research tells us that Seurat became frustrated by the strict ways of school and left early, continuing as a self-taught artist.   

Georges Seurat died in Paris at his parents' home on March 29, 1891, at the age of 31.  The cause of his death is uncertain, and has been attributed to a form of meningitis, pneumonia, infectious angina, and diphtheria.  Seurat was buried in the family vault at Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris.  At the time of Seurat's death, Madeleine was pregnant with their second child, who died during or shortly after birth. 

"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together."
"Some say they see poetry in my paintings; I see only science."
~Georges Seurat~