A Man Leaning on a Parapet
ca. 1881
Medium
Oil on wood
Dimensions
6 1/2 × 4 7/8 in. (16.5 × 12.4 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 2019
Accession Number
2019.141.17
Tags
Art Historical Context
Georges Seurat's *A Man Leaning on Parapet* (ca. 1881) is a intimate oil sketch on wood, measuring just ½ × 4⅞ inches, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art thanks to the bequest of Mrs. Charles Wrights in 2019. Painted early in the artist's brief career—he lived only until 1891—this small-scale work captures a solitary man resting against a stone ledge, with trees framing the scene, evoking a quiet moment contemplation amid nature. As a precursor to Seurat's revolutionary Pointillism, this piece reflects his initial exploration of light and form, influenced by Impressionism yet showin...
About the Artist
Georges Seurat · 1859–1891
Georges Seurat (1859-1891) was the founder of Neo-Impressionism and the inventor of Pointillism, a revolutionary technique that transformed how artists understand and apply color. In a tragically brief career cut short at age 31, Seurat produced only seven monumental paintings, yet his systematic application of color theory fundamentally altered the direction of modern art. Born in Paris to a pro...