GEORGES SEURAT - 3

The Eiffel Tower - 1889

In 1889, Georges Seurat set out to paint the most controversial and scandalous engineering structure being erected in the heart of Paris.  Almost all famous writers and artists opposed the construction.  They tried to convince the municipality that an act of vandalism was taking place in the center of the city, and the huge, ugly, completely useless factory chimney would distort the architecture of Paris and destroy the view from any window.  It had been written that French author Guy de Maupassant ate every day in a cafe on the first level of the tower.  When asked why, he answered, "This is the only place in Paris from which you cannot see it."

Seurat couldn't have chosen anything better to paint.  He was the founder of the movement that wanted to convey the unchanging essence of things, their basic qualities that will not change from the time of year or sunlight.  He looked for the truth of things that will be understood and obvious this minute and a hundred years later. 

Seurat's use of pointillism in The Eiffel Tower is most evident in the flickering effect of the painting's surfaces.  The bright sky is filled with flecks of white, gold and blue, and the tower appears to dissolve into the sky.  He painted the tower before its completion in 1889, when the top was still missing its crowning platform.

Note at the base of painting, Seurat illustrates a simplified landscape, with tiny strokes of colors representing people, buildings and the horizon.  The division of color and light captures a moment of tranquility within the bustling city of Paris. 

Seurat's artwork serves as evidence of his artistic genius, demonstrating his capacity to capture not only the external features of a scene but also its atmosphere and spirit.  By taking viewers back to the 19th century and immersing them in the allure and wonder of the Eiffel Tower's construction, his painting acts as a visual time capsule.  

The Eiffel Tower was initially built to serve as the entrance gateway to the International Exposition of 1889, as well as a testament to French industrial ingenuity.  The Tower's nickname is La Dame de fer, or The Iron Lady.  She stands 1,083 feet tall, about the same height as an 81-story building...one of the most recognizable structures in the world.  

For our better understanding of life back then, here is a photo of the tower serving as the gateway to the 1889 Paris Expo....

*Seurat's original painting of The Eiffel Tower is currently on display at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco in California.