A Study for 'Une Baignade'

This small oil sketch could fit inside the lid of Seurat's painting box, the perfect size for painting outside. It shows workers resting and a boy washing a horse in the Seine at Asnières, identifiable from the distant bridge and factory chimneys. The contemporary subject, strong colour and lively brushwork reflect Seurat's awareness of Impressionism. This is one of thirteen sketches, in addition to ten drawings, Seurat made while working up his monumental finished composition of The Bathers, Asnières (The National Gallery, London). The painting was rejected by the Salon in 1884, but exhibited at the newly formed independent artists' group.