Study of Figures for "La Grande Jatte"

Georges Seurat

National Gallery of Art

In this painting, thick, overlapping strokes of paint create the blurred image of people standing and sitting on grass. In the center, two people in pink and dark purple appear to sit on the green ground, facing the left. The person in front holds a parasol, while the person in the back holds a red flower. In the top left corner, two people seem to stand on the grass. The person on the left seems like a child dressed in a white garment, holding a red object at their side. To the right of the child is a column of pink, suggesting a partially visible adult whose head is beyond the top edge of the painting. Strong shadows are cast on the grass by the people as well as unseen objects, turning sections of the grass dark green.