Courbevoie: Factories by Moonlight

Courbevoie: Factories by Moonlight is a drawing created by Georges Seurat between 1882 and 1883. Executed entirely in Conté crayon, this transitional work demonstrates Seurat’s profound skill in manipulating tone and texture, anticipating the rigorous optical control of his mature Pointillist style. The scene captures the rapidly expanding industrial landscape of the Parisian suburb of Courbevoie, presenting the factories not as symbols of modernity, but as brooding, massive forms silhouetted against the dark sky.

Seurat utilized the granular texture of the paper alongside the dense carbon of the Conté crayon to achieve a unique, shimmering effect. The primary source of illumination, a high, luminous Moon, dramatically cuts through the darkness of the night, highlighting the smoke plumes rising from the factory chimneys. This focus on the high-contrast interaction between light and shadow is characteristic of the black-and-white tonal studies Seurat created during this period, where he often sought to make light emerge from the darkness rather than merely adding highlights.

This exploration of industrial subjects under nocturnal light signals a crucial step in Seurat’s artistic development. The piece is classified formally as a drawing and is highly regarded for its subtle gradations and powerful atmosphere. This significant work is held in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Because this historical artwork is now within the public domain, high-quality prints and reproductions are widely accessible for scholarly study and enjoyment.