Georges-Pierre Seurat (1859-1891). French Postimpressionist - a pioneer of pointillism who changed the direction of modern art. Sunday Afternoon is one of his most famous and recognized works. His first larger painting was the Bath at Asnieres, which was rejected by the Salon. Seurat therefore decided to become an independent artist. He was interested in colour theory and optics and believed that, through colour, he could bring harmony and emotion to his paintings (just as musicians do).