Nude Study of an Old Man (Père Bainville)

Georges Seurat

about 1878–1879

Powdered vine charcoal and charcoal with stumping and lifting, on laid paper

J. Paul Getty Museum

By 1877 art student Seurat had advanced from copying ancient sculptures and casts to drawing from live models at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Nude Study of an Old Man (Père Bainville) was drawn from life, based on the study of an older male model. The same model is depicted in Émile-Jules Pichot Nude Study of an Old Man (2016.81), likely also completed during a life drawing course at the École. In the years to follow, Seurat abandoned traditional styles and became known for pioneering pointillism. Hauke, Cesar M. de, Seurat et son oeuvre. 2 vols. (Paris: Gründ, 1961), vol. 2, p. 21, no. 282, ill.