Paper

Student Artwork Guide

BAIGNEUSES

Name Class Date

Paul Sérusier, BAIGNEUSES. Public domain.

The facts

Artist
Paul Sérusier topimpressionists.com/en/artists/paul-serusier/
Artist’s dates
1864 – 1927
Movement
Post-Impressionism Artists who kept the bright colour of Impressionism but pushed shape and feeling further than the eye really sees.

In context

BAIGNEUSES — Paul Sérusier

When might this have been painted?

  1. 1860
  2. 1870
  3. 1880
  4. 1890
  5. 1900
  6. 1910
  7. 1920

Shaded: the lifetime of Paul Sérusier (1864–1927)

This record has no exact year on file — using the artist's lifetime and the work's style, what decade would you guess?

Compare with

Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.

More works to set beside this one: topimpressionists.com/en/art/similar/paul-serusier-baigneuses-ARABB6-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

    Main colour

    Sap Green #696e48

    Catalogued palette

    • #696E48
    • #333F2E
    • #D1D197
    • #B0985E
    Palette
    Dark The dominant colour family in the image.
    Main colour name
    Sap Green
    Intensity
    Vivid How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
    Contrast
    Bold How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
    Harmony
    Softly Mixed Palette How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
    Brightness
    Bright How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
    Saturation
    Balanced Soft How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

    Artist and museum

    Artist

    Paul Sérusier

    Born in Paris, France

    early life and education

    paul sérusier, a french painter, was born on november 9, 1864, in paris. he studied at the académie julian, where he became a monitor in the mid-1880s. this marked the beginning of his artistic journey, which would eventually lead him to pioneer abstract art and inspire the avant-garde nabis movement, synthetism, and cloisonnism.

    artistic career

    in the summer of 1888, sérusier traveled to pont-aven, where he joined a small group of artists centered around paul gauguin. under gauguin's close supervision, sérusier painted "the talisman," an extreme exercise in cloisonnism that approximated pure abstraction. this piece showcased his innovative style and willingness to experiment with new techniques. as a post-impressionist painter, sérusier was part of the group les nabis, alongside pierre bonnard, édouard vuillard, and maurice denis. although not as widely recognized as some of his peers, sérusier's contributions to the development of abstract art are undeniable.

    notable works and legacy

    some of sérusier's notable works include:

    l'averse (1893), musée d'orsay, paris

    portrait of paul ranson (1890), musée d'orsay, paris

    melancholy (1890)

    the snake eaters (1894), muzeum narodowe, warsaw

    sérusier's later years saw him teaching at the académie ranson and publishing his book "abc de la peinture" in 1921. he passed away on october 7, 1927, in morlaix.

    artistic movement and influence

    sérusier's work was influenced by cloisonnism, a style characterized by bold and flat forms separated by dark contours. this movement, which emerged in the late 19th century, played a significant role in shaping the development of modern art.

    explore more on cloisonnism: the cloisonnism art movement

    discover sérusier's work: paul serusier | AllPaintingsStore.com

    learn about the nabis movement: the nabis art movement

    key takeaways: * paul sérusier was a french painter who pioneered abstract art and inspired the nabis movement. he studied at the académie julian and later taught at the académie ranson. sérusier's work was influenced by cloisonnism, a style characterized by bold and flat forms.

    Where to read more

    Find this online

    QR code linking to the download page for BAIGNEUSES

    topimpressionists.com/en/art/download/paul-serusier-baigneuses-ARABB6-en/

    Cite this artwork

    MLA
    Sérusier, Paul. BAIGNEUSES. n.d., https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/paul-serusier-baigneuses-ARABB6-en/
    APA
    Sérusier, Paul (n.d.). BAIGNEUSES [Painting]. https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/paul-serusier-baigneuses-ARABB6-en/
    Chicago
    Paul Sérusier. BAIGNEUSES. n.d. https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/paul-serusier-baigneuses-ARABB6-en/
    Harvard
    Sérusier, Paul (n.d.) BAIGNEUSES. Available at: https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/paul-serusier-baigneuses-ARABB6-en/

    Look closely

    BAIGNEUSES — Paul Sérusier

    Look closely

    Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.

    1. What catches your eye first, and why?
    2. Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
    3. Our catalogue files this work under: nude figures, forest landscape, nature scene. Do you agree? What would you add, or take away?
    4. Look back at Portrait of Paul Ranson (1890), earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.
    5. Post-Impressionism: Artists who kept the bright colour of Impressionism but pushed shape and feeling further than the eye really sees. Where can you see that in this work?

    Your response

    Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.