Georges Seurat (1859–1891)
1886
Oil paint on canvas
Honfleur, summer 1886
Georges Seurat painted this view from Butin Beach, or Bas-Butin, located west of Honfleur, not far from where he was staying. In the distance, a cargo ship and a strip of land remind us that we are not looking towards the open sea but across the busy estuary of the Seine. The Honfleur paintings are particularly revealing of a moment of transition in Seurat’s technique. A flurry of criss-cross brushstrokes acts as an initial layer, covered by a ‘skin’ of wide, irregular dots, often applied once the first layer had had time to dry. Despite this thickly coated surface, the white priming or preparatory layer has been left visible in certain areas, as part of the colour scheme.