Seurat painted this view of the river Seine in the industrial suburb of Courbevoie near Paris; using the pointillist or divisionist technique he had created. Pointillism relies on the scientific theory that colours are stronger if juxtaposed in small dots; rather than being mixed together. The scene shows an island called the Grande Jatte; which Seurat often painted; but the mood is unusually sombre and silent. The isolated human figures add to the sense of melancholy.