Artwork
A Man Leaning on a Parapet
A Man Leaning on a Parapet is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Georges Seurat. It dates from 1891 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The parapet itself functions as a barrier between the figure and the world beyond, lending the work a sense of pause and observation.
A Man Leaning on a Parapet depicts a solitary male figure alongside a tree, rendered in oil on wood by Georges Seurat in 1881. The composition centers on a man leaning against a parapet, a low wall or railing, with a tree visible in the surrounding space. The intimate scale of the panel, measuring 16.5 by 12.4 centimeters, places the viewer close to the figure, emphasizing the quiet, contemplative nature of the scene.
The juxtaposition of the leaning man and the tree suggests a study of posture and stillness, characteristic of Seurat's early exploration of everyday subjects and the human figure in relation to the urban environment. The parapet itself functions as a barrier between the figure and the world beyond, lending the work a sense of pause and observation.
Technique & Style
A Man Leaning on a Parapet is executed in oil paint on a wooden support, a combination characteristic of Seurat's small-scale studies of this period. The work is modest in size, measuring 16.5 cm in height by 12.4 cm in width, a format suited to the intimate, observational handling of a single figure posed against a parapet with a tree beyond. The use of oil on wood allowed Seurat to work with fine, controlled brushwork, building up the figure and surrounding elements with the careful tonal modeling that anticipates the systematic approach he would later develop. The compact wooden panel supports the precise draftsmanship and balanced composition typical of his early figure studies.
History & Provenance
Georges Seurat created the painting A Man Leaning on a Parapet in 1881. The work was executed using oil paint applied to a wood panel. While the specific circumstances of its commission and the immediate chain of ownership following its creation are not detailed in the available records, the artwork is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Overview
Georges Seurat's painting, A Man Leaning on a Parapet, created in 1891, is rendered on wood. This work features a lone individual positioned against a backdrop of urban elements and trees. As a product of the Post-Impressionist movement, it exemplifies Seurat's distinctive approach to capturing light and form. The piece is currently held in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Georges Pierre Seurat (UK: SUR-ah, -ə, US: suu-RAH; French:; 2 December 1859 – 29 March 1891) was a French post-Impressionist artist.
- Fence on the River
Χωρίς τίτλο
Nebbia
Landscape with Bare Trees and Coastline
A Castle by Moonlight
Le palier, rue de Miromesnil
Fifth Avenue at Twilight
The Ramparts of Christianshavn. Spring
Oil Sketch for "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884"
The Artist's Mother Ane Hedvig Brøndum in the Red Room
Behind the Fence