Haymakers at Montfermeil
circa 1882 National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
About this artwork
This small-scale oil painting depicts two figures working in a field using rakes, created during the early stages of Seurat's artistic career. It demonstrates his early interest in the effects of light and color on rural landscapes before he fully developed his signature Pointillist technique.
Did you know?
While best known for his massive, dot-covered masterpieces like A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, this early work shows Seurat experimenting with a looser, more tactile brushwork. It captures a fleeting, quiet moment of rural labor, starkly contrasting with the highly structured and scientific approach he would pioneer only a few years later. The painting reflects the influence of the Barbizon school and Impressionism on his formative years.
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Haymakers at Montfermeil
Georges Seurat, circa 1882
