Models (Poseuses)

Discussion

FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

In this scene set inside the artist's studio, Seurat depicts models posing in front of A Sunday on La Grande Jatte—1884 (1884–86; Art Institute of Chicago), his most famous pointillist painting. Informed by scientific theories of light, color, and optics, pointillism was dismissed by many critics at the time for being too cold and methodical—a style that could never be applied to noble subjects like the nude. Here, Seurat seems to offer his response, presenting life-size bodies from multiple angles.

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