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Lot Essay
'In just a little over a year after his return to Paris in November 1880, Seurat developed the distinctive drawing style which has placed him among the greatest masters of black and white. By 1882 he fully realised the rich, velvety drawings in cont/ae crayon which are so superb in every sense that they are a serious challenge to the pre-eminence of his painting. To many, as he was only in his early twenties at that period, the rapidity of his maturity was astonishing. In spite of his precocious competence, no drawing before 1881 can begin to compare with the quality of his first mature work' (R.L. Herbert, Seurat's Drawings, London, 1965, pp. 35-36).
By far the largest number of independent drawings from the years 1881-84 such as Femme assise bas have still freer and more abstract character, with the human form as a flat patch against a contrasting background. This particular work demonstrates a stage in Seurat's work at which there is a change from linear to tonal drawing, and in the present work the almost total absence of distinct lines creates a beautiful softness and sensitivity.
By far the largest number of independent drawings from the years 1881-84 such as Femme assise bas have still freer and more abstract character, with the human form as a flat patch against a contrasting background. This particular work demonstrates a stage in Seurat's work at which there is a change from linear to tonal drawing, and in the present work the almost total absence of distinct lines creates a beautiful softness and sensitivity.