This illustrated monograph throws new light on the meaning and imagery of Seurat's paintings. The usual account of Seurat lays most stress on technical and formal aspects of his work. While accepting their importance, Richard Thomson seeks to redress the balance by providing a sustained analysis of Seurat's imagery and situating his work within the fluctuating intellectual and social currents of the day. To Seurat the vital subject for contemporary painting was the modern metropolis, and this book examines the critical way in which he depicted and interpreted Paris, its suburbs and its popular entertainment.