A Man Leaning on a Parapet

ca. 1881
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 825

In the studio inventory made following Seurat’s death, this painting appears as "panel no. 1." One of the artist’s earliest works, it relates to pictures he made about 1880–81 that show single figures absorbed in thought or engaged in labor. The composition reveals his incipient talent for carefully calibrated light effects, bold silhouettes, and flat, geometric forms. Just visible through the leaves is the dome of the Institut de France, across the Seine from the Louvre in Paris.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: A Man Leaning on a Parapet
  • Artist: Georges Seurat (French, Paris 1859–1891 Paris)
  • Date: ca. 1881
  • Medium: Oil on wood
  • Dimensions: 6 1/2 × 4 7/8 in. (16.5 × 12.4 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 2019
  • Object Number: 2019.141.17
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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