Study for 'Le Chahut'
- Artist: Georges Seurat
- Date: c. 1889
- Medium: oil on panel
- Museum: The Courtauld Gallery
- Collection record: The Courtauld Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the Study for “Le Chahut” by Georges Seurat. The scene captures a troupe of dancers mid‑performance, executing the high‑kicking “chahut” that was all the rage in Parisian nightclubs of the late 1800s. Seurat was fascinated by popular entertainment because its staged, almost theatrical artificiality provided an ideal playground for his colour theory and the depiction of movement.
Notice the bold, primary palette – reds, blues, and greens – that Seurat layers in tiny, precise dots. These hues, combined with the sharp, upward‑fanning lines and angles, become more than just color; they act as abstract symbols of gaiety and motion. The composition feels almost kinetic, as if the dancers are caught in a suspended dance of light and color.
An interesting detail is the missing painted border on the right side. That suggests the panel may have been cut down, hinting that we’re looking at a fragment of a larger study. Created around 1889 and executed in oil on panel, this work exemplifies Seurat’s early experimentation that would later culminate in his famous pointillist style.
See it in person
Study for 'Le Chahut' hangs in The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House, London. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
