Seurat: 'Bathers at Asnières'

Workshop at the National Gallery in their “A Look Inside” series looking at Seurat’s “The Bathers”.

This morning was led by Ben Street, a lecturer at the gallery, and examined whether the picture was of or against it’s time. It put it in the context of the impressionists but also looked at his more academic influences. We also discussed the social context of the picture and the fact it was painted the same year as “Sunday Afternoon at the Island of Grand Jatte” and whether the pictures could be viewed as a pair.

We ended by spending about ¾ hour in front of the picture looking at the techniques in detail and sharing ideas from the session. A great way to spend a Saturday morning.

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