View of Le Crotoy from Upstream

Seurat's unique style of painting (called pointillism, divisionism, or neo-impressionism) was based on scientific theories of how the optical nerve transmits juxtaposed colors to the brain. Seurat painted a border of complementary colors along the edge of the canvas to act as a transition for the darker values painted on the adjoining wooden frame. These dark edges help the painting appear more luminous against the frame, which was designed specifically by the artist to be visually unobtrusive to the image.

Credit: Bequest of Robert H. Tannahill