Bridge at Courbevoie

Georges Seurat painted this view of the river Seine using a technique he had recently developed, called ‘pointillism’. It entailed placing coloured dots side by side to create an image, instead of mixing colours on a palette. New optical theories at the time suggested that this made the surface of the painting more vibrant. However, the overall effect is one of melancholy and stillness, emphasised by the vertical trees and masts of the boats. The factory chimney in the background is a reminder that the riverside town of Courbevoie was rapidly becoming an industrial suburb of Paris.