Georges Seurat (1859–1891)
1890
Oil paint on canvas
Gravelines, summer 1890
On either side of the channel of Gravelines, just before it reached the sea, stood the hamlets of Grand-Fort-Philippe and Petit-Fort-Philippe, where Georges Seurat stayed in the summer of 1890. In this work, he looked across the strip of water towards the tide signal station, with its tall mast punctuating the sky. By choosing to accentuate the wide swathe of foreground and sky, Seurat created a feeling of expansiveness that is particular to this summer campaign.