Georges Seurat (1859–1891)
1885
Oil paint on wood panel
Grandcamp, summer 1885
This oil sketch depicts a stretch of coast near the fishing village of Grandcamp, the site of Georges Seurat’s first visit to Normandy in 1885. It is not preparatory for any known larger canvas but helped Seurat decide which view to paint. The cliff in the centre is probably the one depicted in the works on the right, but is seen from further away. The warm colour of the wood panel shows through in areas left untouched by Seurat’s lively brushstrokes, a feature typical of these rapidly produced exploratory sketches. The signature in the lower left is not Seurat’s but a stamp added by a dealer around 1895.