GEORGES SEURAT - 7

My dear loyal followers.....my surgery is behind me, and my private nurse, a/k/a the boyfriend, is tending to my restrictions.  My surgeon ordered a strong steroid be added to my IV prior to the procedure.  It's working, as the swelling is not what it otherwise might be.  There's quite a bit of pain, but I have prescriptions for that, plus antibiotics.  Next week I go back for a post-op and removal of stitches.

My warmest appreciation for the texts, emails and phone calls wishing me well.    Once again, at the hospital, I met the angels in our world.  My prayers go out to all who serve us in the field of medicine and care for us.    

I did the research for a couple of Seurat blogs ahead of time, so I'm able to keep going with our study while I self-pamper......  

Bridge at Courbevoie - 1886

The scene is of three solitary men on the bank of the River Seine.  These men do not relate to each other or the audience, giving the feeling of isolation, reflection and calmness.  There is a boat on the water with two figures that are not well-defined.  If it wasn't for the title of the painting, I wouldn't have noticed the bridge in the distance.

The smoke stack behind the bridge is the only sign of the modern industrial age.  The billowing smoke suggests that industrialization is adversely affecting the environment that was formerly unpolluted.  If you remember, Seurat included this idea in The Bathers at Asnieres.  One could conclude that the artist's dissatisfaction with these new industrial developments is reflected in the somber and indifferent mood of the three solitary figures.  The same could be said for the black tree with no leaves in the foreground to the right of the painting.  Given that the other tree in the top left-hand corner is fully leafed out and the grass is very green, Seurat might be depicting not only the change in seasons, but also the passing of an era.

There is no movement depicted except for the wind that appears to be from the right (the smoke from the chimney) and from the left in the middle (the sail).

The dominant features across this painting are the numerous vertical lines--the poles in the water, the three figures, the sail, the chimney, the fence and the reflections.

There are also some bold horizontal lines--the far distant opposite river bank, the bridge, and the jetty, all give further depth to the image. 

There are a couple of diagonal lines--the grass bank in the foreground which is repeated  in the fence.  

The only curves are on the underside of the bridge, the sail and its reflection, as well as the solitary dark tree.  

Seurat's The Bridge at Courbevoie is on display at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.