Georges Seurat (1859–1891)
1890
Oil paint on canvas
Gravelines, summer 1890
Georges Seurat spent his last summer in the town of Gravelines, located between the ports of Calais and Dunkerque. He was continuing his move away from picturesque Normandy and towards the flatter and less touristy recesses of northern France. In the four large paintings created there – all of which are included in this exhibition – he focused on the long channel that provided the town, situated slightly inland, with access to the sea. This evocative view in meticulously applied tones of purple and blue shows the channel at dusk, with the water reflecting the last rays of light. The painting epitomises the contemplative and serene qualities of Seurat’s seascapes that were so admired by early reviewers.