Foal 1882 - 1883

Georges Seurat made this conte crayon drawing, Foal, some time in the 1880s in France, a time of great change and artistic innovation. Seurat was a Post-Impressionist painter, interested in how the eye perceives color and form. But what does that mean in a drawing like this? Well, the medium itself, conte crayon, was relatively new and allowed for rich blacks and subtle gradations of tone. Note how Seurat uses layers of tiny strokes to build up the image, almost like he's painting with crayon. Now, consider the subject. It's not a grand historical scene, but a simple, everyday image of a young horse. The late 19th century was a time of increasing urbanization, and artists like Seurat often looked to the countryside for inspiration. But he wasn't just copying nature, he was using his art to explore new ways of seeing the world. To understand Seurat better, you might want to explore the history of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, the development of new artistic materials, and the changing social landscape of France in the late 19th century.