He Made A Point Of Painting; The Art Of Success: Seurat's exploration of color theory changed viewers' focus.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)

Byline: J. BONASIA

Georges-Pierre Seurat wanted desperately to become a great painter.

But he was frustrated with what he was producing at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. He'd become perhaps more technically skilled, but he was no closer to translating his vision to canvas than when he enrolled two years earlier.

So in 1879, Seurat dropped out of Paris' esteemed main art academy and decided to study science. The science of color, that is.

That unusual path would lead him to become one of the greatest painters of the 19th century and change the way people looked at paintings.

First, however, he served a brief stint in the military. Upon his discharge, he rented an art studio and began teaching himself how to paint.

It was a time of great ferment for European painting. By then, the art establishment had begun to embrace such Impressionist masters as Monet and Renoir. With those former rebels now joining the mainstream, many …