Poseuse assise, de profil

Poseuse assise, de profil (Seated Model in Profile, 1887) is one of the individual panel studies made as preparation for the large canvas Les Poseuses. Seurat was challenged by critics to demonstrate that divisionism could handle the human form, and these isolated studio studies were part of his methodical response. The profile pose, placing the nude in strong relief against an interior background, tests how systematic dot-work distributes light and colour across a curved human surface. Now at the Musée d'Orsay.

Warm skin tones in tiny points of orange, peach, and rose contrast with the cool blue-green shadow side, demonstrating the law of complementary colours applied to the figure. The small panel format demanded extremely fine, precise dotting to maintain luminosity at the reduced scale.