Group of Figures (Study for "Un dimanche à la Grande Jatte")

Painted in 1884 and now at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, this group of figures study for 'Un dimanche à la Grande Jatte' is one of the numerous preparatory panels in which Seurat worked out the figure arrangements for his masterpiece. The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia holds an important collection of Seurat's studies, acquired by Albert Barnes in the early 20th century and providing one of the strongest concentrations of his working sketches outside France. This panel focuses specifically on the grouping of several figures—likely the central section of the final composition—establishing their spatial positions and relative scales.

The figures are rendered in the slightly broader, more fluid technique characteristic of Seurat's Grande Jatte studies, with colour masses established but individual dots not yet uniformly applied. The relationship between standing figures, seated figures, and the landscape setting is the primary focus.