» Georges Seurat: The Drawings

Georges Seurat: The Drawings Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing drawings by a Neo-impressionist French painter.
Comment: Parisian painter Georges Seurat (1859-1891) is perhaps best known as the founder of Neo-impressionism (Pointillism). His most famous painting, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, altered the direction of modern art and is considered an icon of 19th century painting. For two years (1881-82) before working with colors, he devoted himself to mastering the art of black and white drawing in his small, Left Bank studio. I recently attended an exhibition of Seurat's conté drawings at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. Published by MOMA, this volume of approximately 130 works is the result of that exhibition, and includes some of "the most beautiful painter's drawings in existence." Seurat's drawings of nineteenth-century Parisian subjects are mysterious and mesmerizing in their relationship between light and shadow.

G. Merritt

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Amazing effects from just paper and pencil
Comment: Recently when in NYC I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. They were exhibiting drawings and sketches of Seurat. The effects he could get of illumination and movement with just a conti crayon or pencil were unbeliveable. I wanted to get the book that day, but it was heavy to carry around the City and airport. I was delighted to find it on Amazon - and for less money! I am thoroughly enjoying the book. The narrative is especially appreciated.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Reproductions of Drawings are not First Rate
Comment: I saw the show at MoMA on November 16, and could not wait to buy this book on Amazon. That was until I looked through the book at the musuem shop. Almost without exception, the reproductions of the drawings do not come close to capturing the wonderful drawings that I just saw. The same is true of the 15 or so painting in the show. Huge disappointment.

The book that does capture the greatness of the drawings and paintings is the catalogue from the 1991 exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum titled
GEORGE SEURAT 1859-1891 by Robert L. Herbert (available on this site).
Most of the drawings in the book under review were also in the huge Met
show.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Seurat Drawings
Comment: Seurat's drawings are amazing. If you don't know them you need this book. If you do know them, you need this book. Seurat's short life makes reading about him and seeing these images a charmed experience. Best to get to MoMA to see the show -- but give yourself a treat and buy this book. Right now.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: The unknown side of a master
Comment: This is a wonderful book, published to accompany the current exhibition at the MOMA in New York. High-quality illustrations with some close-ups of details (the texture of the paper even gives the reader the impression of holding an actual drawing because it resembles the grainy Michallet paper Seurat used) show how Seurat considered drawing an art form in its own right: some drawings are studies for paintings (The Bathers, The Models, The Grande Jatte...) and others are completely independent works of art. A sensible text helps the reader understand the artist's technique and style and an interesting chapter written by British contemporary artist Bridget Riley explains how her own art was influenced by Seurat's drawings. Highly recommended.

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