At 17 years Gary visited the Chicago Art Institute and was captivated by Seurat's  "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" as well as the charcoal drawings displayed. The innovative use of color was a catalyst for Gary leading to its prominent position in his art.

Visiting the Courtauld Institute of Art for the first time (1969) Gary was touched by Seurat's "The Young Woman Powdering herself ". The mood is of delicacy, intimacy and clarity.  A sense of perfection emanates from the painting’s surface.   Gary was greatly influenced by Seurat’s belief that color could be used to create harmony and emotion in the same way musicians use counterpoint and variation to create harmony.  As a result Seurat strengthens Gary’s preoccupation with color, making it indispensable in creating his visual art.  

Very important for creating and practicing pointillism, Seurat also elevated drawing from an art tool/method to an art form in itself.   Obvious from Gary’s work, drawing is a prime art form rather than just a tool. 

Prior to the discovery of this black and white photograph, Seurat's face was unknown. This is the only portrait know of Georges Seurat and was discovered over 100 years after his death.

Notes:

The buxom young woman powdering herself in this painting is the artist's lover and mother of their two children, Madeleine Knobloch of whose existence only his closest friends were aware.  This is the only personal acquaintance Seurat included in his artwork.

Xerographic images of “The Young Woman Powdering her Nose” revealed that the upper painted frame is now a mirror or picture of a table, vase and flowers.  This Information Gary located in a Courtauld Institute of Art, London publication