Study for 'La Grande Jatte'

This is one of Seurat's many studies for his 'Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte' (1884-6, Art Institute of Chicago). Some of these studies were probably painted in the open air on the island of La Grande Jatte in the river Seine, opposite Asnières. However, this study may have been painted in the studio, where the artist has brought together information from other sketches and experimented with colour contrasts and a more systematic brushwork.