Georges Seurat

Paul Signac, Paris

Berthe Signac, St. Tropez (by descent from the above)

Léon Salavin, Paris (circa 1957)

Wildenstein & Co., New York

Mr. & Mrs. Sidney R. Barlow, London

Sale: Sotheby's, London, April 2, 1979, lot 9

Waddington Galleries, London (acquired at the above sale)

Sale: Christie's, New York, November 12, 1996, lot 5

Dr. & Mrs. Anton C.R. Dreesmann, Netherlands (acquired at the above sale and sold: Christie's, London, April 9, 2002, lot 69)

Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Paris, Galerie de la Revue Blanche, Georges Seurat 1860-1891: Oeuvres peintes et dessinées, 1900, no. 9

Paris, Galerie Georges Seligmann, 1908

Paris, Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Georges Seurat, 1908-09, no. 32

Paris, Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Georges Seurat, 1920, no. 15

Paris, Musée Carnavalet, Chefs d'Oeuvre des Collections Parisiennes: Ecole francaise du XIX siècle, 1952-53, no. 94

Paris, Musée Jacquemart-André, Seurat, 1957, no. 21

Stockholm, Nationalmuseum, Fem Sekler Fransk Konst (Cinq siècles d'art francais), 1958, no. 163

Hamburg, Kunstverein, Wegbereiter der modernen Malerei: Cézanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Seurat, 1963, no. 97

Phoenix, Museum of Art, 1969 (on short term loan)

Los Angeles, County Museum of Art, 1974 (on short-term loan)

Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, Seurat and the Making of the Grande Jatte, 2004, no. 10

Gustave Coquiot, Seurat, Paris, 1924, p. 246

J. de Laprade, Georges Seurat, Monaco, 1945, illustrated pl.17

H. Dorra and John Rewald, Seurat, Paris, 1959 no. 22, illustrated p.21

Robert Herbert, "Seurat and Puvis de Chavannes," in Yale University Art Literature Gallery Bulletin, October 1959, p. 24

Cesar M. de Hauke, Seurat et son Oeuvre, vol. 1. Paris, 1961, no 102, illustrated p. 63

W. I Homer, "Seurat's Paintings and Drawings,"  Burlington Magazine, London, June 1963, p. 284

A. Chastel and F. Minervino, Tout L'Oeuvre peinte de Seurat, Paris, 1973, no. 45, illustrated

Catherine Grenier, Seurat, Catalogo Completo, Milan, 1990, no. 43, illustrated

Anne Distel, Seurat, Chêne, 1991, no. 12 illustrated p. 154

Very good condition. The canvas bears an old, supportive lining. Under ultra-violet light, there is no evidence of retouching. The surface is stable, and the painting is in very good condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Seurat often depicted scenes of rural life, including figures such as gardeners, fishermen and mowers hard at work in the fields or river banks.  The focus of the present composition is on the figure of the stone-breaker on the left, captured in movement, his hammer raised high.  He is accompanied by a young family member or apprentice, who appears to be more passive, the edges of his figure merging into the surrounding landscape.  Following his theory of color contrast, Seurat has created a dynamic composition by contrasting the bright yellow and pink tones in the middle, with the cooler blues and greens along the top and bottom, as well as by juxtaposing the dark and white hues of the man's clothes.

 

Writing about a slightly earlier composition on the theme of stone breakers, Robert L. Herbert's observation can also be applied to the present work: "Because Seurat's man is hammering the stones and protecting himself from the sun with a huge hat, we empathize with his labor and cannot treat this landscape as though it were [...] a quiet pastoral corner.  Farmers had reason to break up outcroppings of limestone, but in his many drawings and paintings of stone breakers, one of his favourite subjects, Seurat seems to evoke the encroachment of villages and cities on once-rural land. [...]  Seurat gave his figures the dignity of their labor, even if he did not individualize them" (R. L. Herbert, in Seurat (exhibition catalogue), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1991-92, pp. 119 & 122).