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Student Artwork Guide

Les trois fileuses

Paul Sérusier

Name Class Date
Paul Sérusier, Les trois fileuses. Public domain. See this canvas under a moving light: the drawing, the true colour under the varnish, the bare pigment

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.

Copyright This work is in the public domain. Paul Sérusier died in 1927; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 1997.

Source: TopImpressionists.com — accessed Oct. 7, 2026

Les trois fileuses — Paul Sérusier Part 1 · The artwork

In context

Les trois fileuses — Paul Sérusier

When might this have been painted?

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

Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 63 at death.

Shaded: the lifetime of Paul Sérusier (1864–1927) every dated painting, decade by decade

First works: up to 1890 Main working years: 1890–1906 Late works: from 1906

Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell. The same years with the artist’s life laid along them

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-les-trois-fileuses-ARABAC-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

    Main colour

    Espresso #404042

    Catalogued palette

    • #404042
    • #E9DECD
    • #A58D76
    • #875652

    These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour

    Palette
    Earthy The dominant colour family in the image.
    Main colour name
    Espresso
    Intensity
    Balanced How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
    Contrast
    Gentle How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
    Harmony
    Balanced Harmony How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
    Brightness
    Balanced How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
    Saturation
    Subtle Color How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

    Where in the world is this painting looked at?

    • under 1%
    • 1–3%
    • 3–8%
    • 8–20%
    • 20% and over
    This painting alone has too few recorded visitors to map, so the plate reads every work by Paul Sérusier over the last twelve months — 13 countries in all. Where these figures come from

    The ten leading countries

    1. 1 China 70.2%
    2. 2 United States of America 10.6%
    3. 3 France 4.8%
    4. 4 Singapore 3.8%
    5. 5 Hong Kong 2.9%
    6. 6 Austria 1.0%
    7. 7 Belgium 1.0%
    8. 8 Canada 1.0%
    9. 9 Germany 1.0%
    10. 10 Spain 1.0%
    11. · 3 other countries 2.7%

    Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.

    The 20 most looked-at works by Paul Sérusier

    1. 1 Still Life with Corn and Tomatoes, 1921 4.0%
    2. 2 The Talisman, 1888 4.0%
    3. 3 Breton woman going to the washing place, 1890 4.0%
    4. 4 Still life with apples and jug, 1912 3.2%
    5. 5 Avenue de Neuilly 3.2%
    6. 6 Susanna and the Elders 3.2%
    7. 7 End of the day, 1893 2.4%
    8. 8 Fisherman on the Laita, 1890 2.4%
    9. 9 La colline aux platanes, 1907 2.4%
    10. 10 Apple Harvest, 1891 2.4%
    11. 11 La Guirlande de roses, 1898 2.4%
    12. 12 Celtic Tale, 1894 1.6%
    13. 13 Colour Wheel 1.6%
    14. 14 Portrait of Paul Ranson, 1890 1.6%
    15. 15 Fishing Boats On The Breton Coast, 1892 1.6%
    16. 16 The Breton Weaver, 1888 1.6%
    17. 17 The Fairy and the Knight, 1912 1.6%
    18. 18 A Widow, 1919 1.6%
    19. 19 Still Life with Fruit and a Pitcher, 1913 1.6%
    20. — Les trois fileuses this painting 0.0%

    Together these works take 46.4% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 177 works by this artist, of which 79 were looked at at least once. This painting has not been looked at yet in that time — it closes the list without a rank. The same counts, month by month

    Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.

    Source: TopImpressionists.com — accessed Oct. 7, 2026

    Les trois fileuses — Paul Sérusier Part 2 · In context

    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 Les trois fileuses

    topimpressionists.com/en/art/download/paul-serusier-les-trois-fileuses-ARABAC-en/

    Cite this artwork

    MLA
    Sérusier, Paul. Les trois fileuses. n.d., https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/paul-serusier-les-trois-fileuses-ARABAC-en/
    APA
    Sérusier, Paul (n.d.). Les trois fileuses [Painting]. https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/paul-serusier-les-trois-fileuses-ARABAC-en/
    Chicago
    Paul Sérusier. Les trois fileuses. n.d. https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/paul-serusier-les-trois-fileuses-ARABAC-en/
    Harvard
    Sérusier, Paul (n.d.) Les trois fileuses. Available at: https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/paul-serusier-les-trois-fileuses-ARABAC-en/

    Source: TopImpressionists.com — accessed Oct. 7, 2026

    Les trois fileuses — Paul Sérusier Part 3 · Artist and museum

    Look closely

    Les trois fileuses — 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. How many faces can you find? ____ (our catalogue counts 3 — do you agree?)
    4. Our catalogue files this work under: weaving, textiles, still life. Do you agree? What would you add, or take away?
    5. Look back at Roof Tops in Paris, earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.

    Your response

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

    Source: TopImpressionists.com — accessed Oct. 7, 2026

    Les trois fileuses — Paul Sérusier Part 4 · Look closely

    Questions & Answers

    How does the style of "Les trois fileuses" relate to its creator's era?

    "Les trois fileuses" belongs to the Post-Impressionism movement, and its creator worked in the 19th-Century era.

    Which palette and lead color define "Les trois fileuses"?

    "Les trois fileuses" by Paul Sérusier uses an earthy palette, with espresso (#404042) as the dominant color.

    What color palette is used in "Les trois fileuses" by Paul Sérusier?

    The palette of "Les trois fileuses" by Paul Sérusier is described as earthy. It is a compact description of the work's colors.