Georges Seurat — Une baignade à Asnières (Bathers at Asnières) #notesontheartwork

Just like in my last #notesontheartwork text, I decided to continue with pieces that take us to refreshing summer moments because despite being September, it’s still quite hot in Europe. This time we will dive into Une baignade à Asnières or Bathers at Asnières (in English) by the French artist Georges Seurat, painted in 1884 when he was under 25 years old (imagine having the skills to do a painting like this at such young age), which is currently part of the collection of The National Gallery, in London. Considered a masterpiece, this large-format painting is quite mesmerizing because of the calm and peaceful feeling it transmits. In it, we see five men relaxing on the banks of a river and two more bathing in the water and the curious thing about them is that they are all alone and do not engage with each other or with us. Seurat chose to paint them in profile and we cannot see the face of these anonymous men who are enjoying the sunny and warm weather. Another peculiarity about their depiction is how they all feel immobile as if they were sculptures meticulously placed on the sand bank. Their poses are of reflection and observation as if absorbed in their own thoughts or serenely watching what is happening in the water, like the man whose back is turned to us and whose head position indicates that he is watching the two young boys bathing. The only man who appears to be moving is the one in the water closest to us whose hands are arched around his mouth as if complaining about the cold water, in a gesture that we have all made when entering any sea to dive. <a href="https://medium.com/@theredstudio.blog_25703/georges-seurat-une-baignade-%C3%A0-asni%C3%A8res-bathers-at-asni%C3%A8res-notesontheartwork-e5fea3bd420e">Read More</a>