Study for "Poseuses"

Georges Seurat

1886–87 · Conté crayon on laid paper. · Robert Lehman Collection

This poetic drawing is evidence of Seurat’s mastery of Conté crayon, a medium that allowed him to achieve rich velvety textures and softly blurred contours, for which he became well known. The stiff, almost awkward pose of the model clearly identifies the drawing as a preparatory study for a figure in Seurat’s famous painting The Models, or Poseuses (Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia). Following Seurat’s death, this framed drawing remained in the collection of his artist friend Maximilien Luce, who used it as a still-life element in a portrait of the famous art critic and collector Félix Féneon.

Artist

Georges Seurat

Date

1886–87

Medium

Conté crayon on laid paper.

Department

Robert Lehman Collection

Credit line

Robert Lehman Collection, 1975