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Seurat: Bathers at Asnieres (One Painting, One Story)

Brief Description
Although beloved today, Georges Seurat's Bathers at Asnières was rejected from the Salon exhibition to which it was first submitted. The work, painted when the artist was only 24 years old, was intended to make a statement. Meticulously planned, its detailed composition starkly contrasts with the... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3099
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This beautifully illustrated book in the National Gallery’s new One Painting, One Story series explores the making and meaning of Seurat’s Bathers at Asnières

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Although beloved today, Georges Seurat's Bathers at Asnières was rejected from the Salon exhibition to which it was first submitted. The work, painted when the artist was only 24 years old, was intended to make a statement. Meticulously planned, its detailed composition starkly contrasts with the spontaneity sought by Seurat's Impressionist peers.

The scene is suffused with bright, hazy sunlight but evokes an eerie stillness. Each figure appears to exist in isolation. Alastair Sooke unravels this intriguing composition, which presents a picture of a society clearly divided by class, and explores how this monumental painting preceded A Sunday on La Grande Jatte – 1884 and Seurat's ascent to becoming a giant of modern art.

Published by National Gallery Global/Distributed by Yale University Press

Series: One Painting, One Story

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  • Seurat: Bathers at Asnieres (One Painting, One Story)
    Although beloved today, Georges Seurat's Bathers at Asnières was rejected from the Salon exhibition to which it was first submitted. The work, painted when the artist was only 24 years old, was intended to make a statement. Meticulously planned, its detailed composition starkly contrasts with the spontaneity sought by Seurat's Impressionist peers. The scene is suffused with bright, hazy sunlight...
    Paperback
    $3099
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Vigee Le Brun: Self Portrait in a Straw Hat (One Painting, One Story)
    Self Portrait in a Straw Hat by Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun is one of the National Gallery's most captivating paintings. Looking at us directly and holding the tools of her profession, the painter presents herself as an elegant society lady as well as an accomplished professional artist. The pose was modelled on Rubens's Portrait of Susanna Lunden (?), with...
    Paperback
    $3099
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Van Gogh: Sunflowers (One Painting, One Story)
    'The sunflower is mine', Van Gogh once declared. No other artist has been so closely associated with a specific flower, and his sunflower pictures are among his most loved works. In this compact and richly illustrated book, Martin Gayford explores the history of the National Gallery's Sunflowers, painted in Arles in 1888 shortly before Paul Gauguin came to stay with...
    Paperback
    $3099
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Holbein: The Ambassadors (One Painting, One Story)
    Holbein's Ambassadors is one of the most famous paintings in the National Gallery. It is also one of the most intriguing. Laden with hidden symbols and mysteries, the work has been the subject of intense debate among historians during the five centuries since it was created. Here, Tracy Borman unpicks the secrets of this enigmatic artwork, painted during a turbulent...
    Paperback
    $3099
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Monet: The Water-Lily Pond (One Painting, One Story)
    In 1893, Claude Monet, a keen gardener, bought a plot of land next to his house in Giverny, where he wanted to create a water garden 'both for the pleasure of the eye and for the purpose of having subjects to paint'. He filled the pond with water lilies and built a bridge at one end, inspired by examples he...
    Paperback
    $3099
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781857097474

Publisher: National Gallery Company Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 23 September 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: National Gallery Company Ltd

Illustration: 30 colour Illus

Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 159.0mm

Height: 210.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 64

About the Author

Alastair Sooke is the Telegraph’s chief art critic, a regular presenter of television and radio for the BBC, and the author of three books.
 

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