Georges Seurat’s “The Channel at Gravelines, Grand Fort-Philippe” is an 1890 oil on canvas painting that measures 65 × 81 cm and is currently housed at the National Gallery in London. This cityscape depicts a harbor in the French port town of Gravelines and is one of four landscapes Seurat created during his visit there in 1890. The painting is known for its methodical application of fine points of color, as was typical of Seurat’s style of Pointillism and Neo-Impressionism.
Seurat’s aim in this painting was to capture the purity of the coastal air and light in Gravelines. Through his use of pointillism, he carefully applied thousands of tiny dots of pure, unmixed color to achieve a sense of luminosity and texture in the water, sky, and buildings. The result is a vibrant and lively representation of the harbor, with boats bobbing in the water and figures moving along the shore. Overall, “The Channel at Gravelines, Grand Fort-Philippe” is an excellent example of Seurat’s technical skill and his ability to capture the unique qualities of a place through his art.
