Description
Clothes on the Grass is an oil study that Seurat painted on a small wooden panel in about 1883: a heap of white clothes lies on a grassy bank of the Seine, a brownish shore slopes away behind it, and across the wide, calm river the far bank carries a bridge, a long building with a red roof and factory chimneys. The original, 24.8 x 16.2 cm, is owned by Tate in London under number N04203. We make it as a canvas painting, hand-painted in oils, in six sizes or to your own measurements, and you approve a photograph of the finished work before it is dispatched.
| Title: | Clothes on the Grass |
| Other titles: | Vêtements sur l’herbe |
| Painter: | Georges Seurat (1859–1891) |
| Year painted: | about 1883 |
| Original size: | 24.8 cm x 16.2 cm |
| Original technique: | Oil on wood |
| Painting style: | Oil study – short strokes, not yet dots |
| Located at: | Tate, London (inv. no. N04203) |
| Our reproduction: | hand-painted in oils on canvas, 6 sizes from 25 x 16 cm to 90 x 60 cm, custom sizes on request |
Clothes on the Grass – Georges Seurat
What does the painting show?
A bank of the Seine in the industrial suburbs of Paris, with nobody on it. At the lower left a heap of white clothes lies on the grass, with a darker garment underneath; whoever left them there may have gone into the water. Above the grass a brownish, earthy shore curves down, and then the wide, calm river opens out and fills almost the whole right half of the scene. On the far bank a long bridge runs across, behind it stands a long building with a red roof, and thin factory chimneys rise into the sky. Dark trees frame the view at the left and right edges. There are no people; the only storyteller is the pile of discarded clothes.
What is on the panel?
A horizontal wooden panel 24.8 cm wide. The grass at the bottom is painted in green and blue strokes, the shore above it in warm orange-browns, and the river in pale blue, grey and pink horizontal strokes that mirror the buildings and chimneys. The clothes are a single bright white shape that the eye finds at once. The strokes are short and cross one another; there are no dots yet. The sky is pale, almost white, so the whole scene is bright and calm despite the dark trees at both edges.
Why does this study matter?
Because it is one of the preparatory studies for Seurat’s first large painting. In the summer of 1883 the French painter painted a series of panels like this one on the riverbank, each answering a single question. Here it was the place itself that interested him: the bank, the water and the industry on the other side, with no people at all. The pointillism he is known for today had not yet developed; neo-impressionism grew out of observations like these a few years later. It is a quiet, bright scene with an unusual story.
What does the scene mean?
A summer day by the river, told without a single person. The discarded clothes suggest that someone is bathing, yet we never see them; the place stays empty and still. Across the river stand the factories that give work to the people who come down to the water on their days off. Seurat does not judge whether industry is beautiful or ugly; he sets it in the background as part of the landscape. On a wall at home the painting feels fresh and quiet, and the broad, pale expanse of water opens up the room.
What happened to the original?
Tate’s catalogue traces the panel through the hands of dealers and collectors. It was first with Ambroise Vollard in Paris, then with Eugène Druet in Paris, with the collector Maurice Fabre in the Aude department and with Jos Hessel in Paris. After that it belonged to the London gallery Alex Reid and Lefevre, which presented it to Tate in 1926. Today it is on view on loan at the National Gallery in London. Every detail here is taken from Tate’s record.
What place does this study have among Seurat’s works?
It is one of the preparatory studies for the large canvas Bathers at Asnières, held by the National Gallery in London. We offer three more studies for the same painting: Study for Bathers at Asnières (London) with boys on the bank, Study for Bathers at Asnières (Kansas City) and The Rainbow: Study for Bathers at Asnières. Side by side they show how the painter got to know the place one piece at a time.
How is our hand-painted version made?
With a brush and oil paint, never with a printer. Our painter works from an image of the original and keeps what makes this study special: short, crossing strokes, the pale light and the white clothes as the one strong accent. Pointillist dots would be wrong here: Seurat had not yet developed them when he painted this panel. Because everything is done by hand, no two canvases ever come out exactly alike, and every hand-painted copy remains a one-off. We do not yet have our own photographs of a finished canvas of this subject; after we paint it for the first time, we will photograph it and publish the photographs here.
Which size for which wall?
If you are not sure which to choose, take 60 x 40 cm. Our smallest size, 25 x 16 cm, is 2 mm wider and 2 mm shorter than the original, which measures 24.8 x 16.2 cm, so it is the size in our range closest to the original. The format is horizontal, so it fits well above a narrow chest of drawers, above a bed or in a group of smaller works. 50 x 30 and 60 x 40 cm are good for a hallway or bedroom; 70 x 45 and 80 x 50 cm stand on their own above a desk, and 90 x 60 cm is the largest size we offer for this subject, because the image of the original does not allow anything bigger. Every oil painting reproduction of this subject is made to order.
Custom size, stretcher bar and frame
If none of the six sizes suits your wall, we paint to your measurements and keep the proportions of the original, so the shore and the river stay in balance; that is our custom size painting service. Every canvas arrives stretched on a wooden stretcher bar, ready to hang. The frame is chosen in our 3D frame viewer, which shows gold, silver, black, white and wooden profiles on this subject; it serves only to choose the frame. To see the painting on your own wall, there is our room-visualisation service, ordered on its own.
Delivery and guarantee
Each copy is painted to order in our studio in Slovenia, so allow 15 to 45 days depending on the size. We send it stretched, protected for transport and framed if you wish, within Slovenia and across the EU without customs duty. Before dispatch you get a photograph of the finished work for approval, and our returns policy applies to every order. You will find all of Seurat’s subjects in the Georges Seurat gallery, and our article about Georges Seurat also sets out what makes a good fine art reproduction.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the original?
The panel is owned by Tate in London (N04203), which received it in 1926 as a gift from the Alex Reid and Lefevre gallery; it is on view on loan at the National Gallery in London.
Who is in the painting?
Nobody. Only a heap of discarded clothes lies on the bank; there are no people.
Is »Vêtements sur l’herbe« the same work?
Yes. That is the French title of the same panel; Tate and the National Gallery list it under the English title Clothes on the Grass, which is also ours.
Is this a print?
No. The work is painted by hand in oil on canvas; you can see and feel the brushstrokes.
Which size should I choose?
For a hallway or bedroom, 60 x 40 cm; for the size closest to the original, 25 x 16 cm. The detailed guide is above.
Can I have a size that is not on the list?
Yes. We paint to measure and keep the side ratio of the original.
What are the buildings on the far bank?
A bridge, a long building with a red roof and factory chimneys; they are what tell us we are in an industrial suburb.
What does the painting say in one sentence?
That a heap of clothes left on a riverbank can tell the whole story of a summer day by the water.
Is the original for sale?
No. The panel is in Tate’s public collection and is not for sale. We can paint it for you by hand, so that the riverbank hangs on your own wall.
How high should I hang it?
With its centre at eye level, about 145–150 cm from the floor. Hang the smaller sizes lower, closer to where you sit.
Is it suitable as a gift?
Yes, a quiet, bright subject suits almost any room. If you would rather leave the choice to the person receiving it, there is our gift voucher.
- Subject: a heap of white clothes on a bank of the Seine, with a bridge and factory chimneys behind – about 1883
- Original: 24.8 x 16.2 cm, oil paint on wood, Tate, London (inv. no. N04203)
- Ours: this study for a famous painting, painted by hand in oils on canvas, six sizes from 25 x 16 to 90 x 60 cm, always stretched, framed on request
- Worth knowing: there is nobody in the picture – only the discarded clothes tell us that someone is bathing
