French artist Georges Seurat (1859 – 1891) is best known for his post-Impressionist style of Pointillism. He was born into an affluent family in Paris and educated in conventional academic painting at the École des Beaux-Arts, copying from old masters. After having attended military service, he further developed his unique style, which was influenced by the Impressionist use of colour and light. However, unlike Impressionist art, Seurat would clearly outline his figures, as can be seen in his monumental picture “Bathers at Asnières” and use almost mathematical precision depicting figures. After his work got rejected by the Paris Salon, he formed a new organisation, where he influenced several fellow artists with his Pointillist and Chromoluminarism style.
Seurat started his most famous painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” in 1884, which would take him two years. When he died at only 31 caused by disease, he left unfinished work behind. Today, Seurat’s paintings are highly appreciated for combining sensibility and accurateness with logical abstraction and mathematical precision.