Seurat and the Sea

The Courtauld presents the first ever exhibition dedicated to the seascapes of the French artist Georges Seurat (1859–1891). This major, focused display is the first devoted to Seurat in the UK in almost 30 years. It charts the evolution of his radical and distinctive style through the recurring motif of the sea. The Courtauld holds the largest collection of works by Seurat in the UK. The artist is best known as the creator of the Neo-Impressionist technique, in which shapes and light are rendered by juxtaposing small dots of pure colour. Due to his early death at the age of 31, Seurat has a very small pool of works and exhibitions devoted to him are rare. The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Seurat and the Sea brings together 26 paintings, oil sketches and drawings made by Seurat during the five summers he spent on the northern coast of France, between 1885 and 1890. Working in port towns along the English Channel, including Honfleur, Port-en-Bessin and Gravelines, Seurat captured their seascapes, regattas and port activity in his distinctive Neo-Impressionist technique. He sought, in his words, 'to wash his eyes of the days spent in the studio [in Paris] and to translate in the most faithful manner the bright clarity, in all its nuances'. These works are an important counterpoint to his Parisian works, which are better known and more widely studied. This exhibition provides a unique opportunity to reassess an important but often overlooked aspect of Seurat's career.