Georges Seurat, 'Le Bec du Hoc, Grandcamp', 1885

We are looking out to sea over the strange, curving headland of the Bec du Hoc. It was more commonly known as the Pointe du Hoc, although bec – or beak – was a good word for it. Seurat came here in the summer of 1885. At that time, it was one of the most striking features of this stretch of the Normandy coast. The towering 35-metre-high limestone cliff seems to cleave away from the rest of the rock face, creating a chasm of deep shadow on this bright sunny day.

In some ways, it is a haunting image. The only suggestions of human presence are the white and tan-coloured sails of a few boats just off the coast. There are hints of others on the horizon. However, there is also a sense of life and vibrancy. This comes partly from the five swallows, which seem to be taking advantage of the updraft from the cliff and soar into the sky. It also comes from the shimmer of haze and colour. Seurat created this effect by using a pointillist technique. This involves patiently applying a myriad of small brushstrokes of separate colours, rather than blending them together on the canvas.

Seurat used different brushwork in different parts of the picture. For example, the sea consists mostly of short horizontal colour lines mixed with white smudges depicting patches of foam or glare. By contrast, a denser mix of angled strokes evokes the dark shadow of the cliff face. The sky is painted much more smoothly.

In preparation for the painting, Seurat sketched the scene at the headland. He then worked up the finished picture in his studio. Three years later, in 1888, after already being exhibited three times, he spent further time on it. He retouched the picture with fine highlights and added a border of contrasting dots around the edge of the canvas. This varies in intensity depending on whether it borders land, sea or sky.

Unfortunately, history delivered a terrible blow to this peaceful, shimmering summer scene. Because of its height and prominence, the point was strategically important. It was heavily fortified by the Germans during the Second World War. In fact, a battery was built very close to the viewpoint used by Seurat. The point lies between Grandcamp and Omaha Beach, where the most intense fighting took place during the Normandy landings. It was heavily bombarded on the night before the invasion. Some 600 salvoes of 14-inch shells were fired at the battery by the battleship Texas. As a result, much of the fragile outcrop was destroyed, and only an isolated stub remains. This is at risk of further erosion. The Pointe du Hoc Ranger Monument now stands at Seurat’s viewpoint. It commemorates the commandoes of the 116th Infantry who took the point on 6 June 1944. The surrounding headland is still peppered with bomb craters and shell holes.