The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles has purchased an early drawing by the Impressionist master Georges Seurat for £2,434,500 ($3,971,643). Regarded as one of the finest drawings ever produced by Seurat, ‘Mendiant hindou’ was expected to fetch between $129,000 and $194,000 at auction. The work comes from the private collection of Jan Krugier, one of the preeminent art dealers and collectors of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Created around 1878-1879 when Seurat was only twenty years old, ‘Mendiant hindou’ illustrates how the artist used light, shadow and gradation to create forms and convey the mood of his subjects. According to Timothy Potts, the director of the J. Paul Getty Museum, the drawing “signifies the beginning of Seurat’s obsession with the effects of light and dark that characterize his mature paintings and drawings.”

In addition to ‘Mendiant hindou,’ the J. Paul Getty Museum holds three masterpieces by Seurat in its collection -- ‘Madame Seurat, the Artist’s Mother,’ ‘Poplars,’ and ‘Woman Strolling.’