Study for “Poseuses”

• Georges Seurat (1859–1891)
• 1886–1887
• Conté crayon on laid paper
• Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
• (1975.1.704)

Georges Seurat, best known for his Pointillist paintings composed of meticulous dots of color, was also celebrated for his captivating drawings made with velvety black conté crayon on textured paper. This work, a study for his painting Models (Poseuses), depicts a woman standing stiffly with clasped hands against a studio wall. Rather than rendering her body in precise detail, Seurat blurred the boundaries of light and shadow, creating a figure that seems to glow with a mysterious radiance.