Georges Seurat (1859–1891)
1890
Oil paint on wood panel
Gravelines, summer 1890
In addition to four canvases, Georges Seurat brought back four oil sketches from his summer in Gravelines, three of which are exhibited here. This sketch is related to the painting on the right (number 23) and shows its composition almost fully worked out. A few changes can be seen in the placement of the lighthouse, which Seurat has moved away from the edge of the composition in the canvas, and of the boat in the foreground, ultimately replaced by a central bollard. The handling of paint here is very lively and uses a wide range of colours, applied in small touches. Particles of sand caught in the paint confirm that it was made out of doors.