Georges Seurat

1859 - 1891

As a young boy, Georges Seurat knew he wanted to be an artist. His uncle, who painted as a hobby, took him out on art expeditions. At 15, Seurat began drawing classes, then pursued a classical art education at the School of Fine Arts in Paris. During his ten-year art career, Seurat spent most of his time on just seven large paintings, working for a year or more on each one. He became the leader of a group of artists, called neo-Impressionists, who subscribed to his scientific theories of art and painted with dots and dashes of pure color. When he was 31, Seurat died suddenly of diphtheria.