The river Seine at La Grande-Jatte 1888

Georges Seurat created “The River Seine at La Grande-Jatte” using oil on canvas. It is unknown when it was made. Seurat, at the end of the 19th century, depicted a scene that seems tranquil on the surface, but was made in a time of immense social change in France. The figures are intentionally ambiguous, but their presence speaks volumes about the relationship between work, leisure, and class. The development of industry in France in the late 1800s meant changes in the ways people were spending their time and their money. Rather than presenting the working class in a sympathetic light, Seurat seems to portray the effects of industrialization with a sense of detachment. The artist gives the viewer enough information to make their own conclusions about what the scene suggests. The pointillist style, with its tiny dots of color, adds to the overall feeling of stillness. The way the trees lean into the water, creating a soft boundary, invites us to consider the nature of work and leisure. It asks: who gets to rest, and at what cost?