“The Seller of Oranges” is a piece of art created by the renowned artist Georges Seurat in the year 1881 in France. Utilizing the medium of crayon on paper, Seurat crafted this work as part of the Post-Impressionist movement. The genre painting is moderately sized at 31.4 cm by 25 cm, portraying a scene from everyday life.
The artwork depicts a lone figure, most likely a man, standing with what appears to be a posture that suggests he is engaged in the act of selling. The character is outfitted in attire typical of the late 19th century, including what seems to be a coat and a traditional hat, casting a subdued silhouette against the misty background. The details of the surroundings are suggested with softer lines and hatched shading, indicating an open-air setting that may include other unidentified objects implied to complement the central activity within the artwork. Seurat’s technique, characterized by his use of contoured dark and light areas, contributes to a textured appearance that brings a dramatic depth to the composition, implying the name of the artwork, where a narrative of marketplace livelihood can be inferred.
