House at Dusk (La Cité)

House at Dusk (La Cité) by Georges Seurat, executed between 1881 and 1882, is a foundational drawing in the artist's developing body of work. The piece utilizes Conté crayon on paper, a medium Seurat championed for its ability to create deep, velvety blacks and rich tonal variation. Before he fully committed to the systematic color application of Pointillism, Seurat focused intensively on capturing the atmospheric weight and substance of light solely through monochrome contrasts. The dense, granular quality of the Conté crayon allowed him to manipulate the texture of the paper, transforming simple depictions of architecture into intense studies of visual perception and chiaroscuro.

The drawing concentrates on the subject of urban architecture during the transitionary hours of twilight. The composition features a cluster of indistinct houses, likely suburban or working-class buildings, tightly arranged and silhouetted against a deeply shaded sky. Seurat masterfully employs hatching and blending to convey the heavy, quiet mood of the evening, emphasizing mass and shadow rather than specific detail. The light is faint and localized, suggesting illumination coming from within the houses or the last remnants of dusk fading over the scene.

This piece classifies as a finished drawing and is crucial for understanding Seurat’s evolving draftsmanship. It demonstrates his early commitment to monumentalizing everyday urban themes. The work is held within the permanent modern European collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met). As a significant piece by a major modern master, high-quality prints of this artwork are frequently sought after, and historically significant works such as this often move into the public domain, ensuring wide accessibility for study and appreciation.