Sunset

Painted in about 1881 in the forest of Fontainebleau, this is one of the earliest surviving oils by Georges Seurat. Before his well known 'Bathers at Asnières' (National Gallery, London), many of Seurat's paintings were small oils which he called croquetons (little sketches). He often painted these on cigar box lids which measured 16 x 24 cm, were easily transportable, required no special treatment, and the colour of the wood provided an ideal ground for his landscapes.The field depicted here is largely painted with the earth colours which Seurat gradually abandoned in the period 1882 to 1884 as he developed his ideas on optical painting.