Artwork
Haystacks
Haystacks is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Georges Seurat. It dates from 1882 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
, having been bequeathed to the institution in 1999 by Paul Mellon, with a prior life interest held by his wife, Rachel Lambert Mellon.
Georges Seurat's 1882 work, Haystacks, is executed in oil paint on a wooden panel support. The painting measures 15.88 cm in height and 24.77 cm in width, presenting a landscape genre scene that includes a tree. Created during the early phase of Seurat's career, the piece demonstrates his handling of oil on a rigid panel rather than canvas, a material choice common for smaller studies or finished works of this period.
The work is currently held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., having been bequeathed to the institution in 1999 by Paul Mellon, with a prior life interest held by his wife, Rachel Lambert Mellon.
History & Provenance
Georges Seurat painted Haystacks in 1882, executing the small landscape in oil on a wood panel. The work subsequently entered the collection of the American collector Paul Mellon, who held it at his residence in Upperville, Virginia. Following Mellon's death in 1999, the painting was bequeathed to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., with a life interest reserved for his wife, Rachel Lambert Mellon, who lived until 2014. The painting has since been held in the National Gallery of Art's collection.
Georges Seurat's 1882 oil painting Haystacks is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The work entered the museum's holdings in 1999 following the bequest of Paul Mellon (1907–1999) of Upperville, Virginia, which included a life interest for his wife, Rachel Lambert Mellon (1910–2014). While the painting is currently located at the National Gallery of Art, the provided sources do not list specific accession numbers or detail a history of public exhibitions for this particular piece.
Overview
Georges Seurat's Haystacks, created around 1882, is an oil painting executed on a wood panel. This early landscape work by the artist features a prominent tree positioned in front of several haystacks. While modest in scale, the piece offers an initial insight into Seurat's evolving approach to composition and his systematic application of color, anticipating the more developed pointillist techniques that would define his later career.
Subject & Meaning
The painting's composition centers on a solitary tree, rendered with careful attention to its structure and texture, standing before a series of agricultural mounds. These haystacks, though secondary to the tree, are depicted with a similar degree of detail, contributing to the overall impression of rural observation. The work reflects a direct engagement with the natural environment, typical of landscape studies from this era, yet executed with an emerging analytical perspective on form.
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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.
