Léon Pourtau had a gift for painting but trained formally as a musician and became a talented professional. He was an admirer and friend of Seurat, who died in 1891, and his few paintings show that he applied the principles of pointillism, which Seurat preferred to describe as 'scientific Impressionism'. Pourtau was keen to save enough money from the two years he spent in Philadelphia as a concert performer to be able to devote himself to painting on his return to France. However, tragically he died when the ship bringing him home was shipwrecked.

Pourtau's work was never exhibited and remained within his family until certain pieces were put up for sale; these works reveal Pourtau to have been one of the most gifted artists carrying on the legacy of Neo-Impressionism. Seurat's influence is apparent both in the composition, based on the golden section, and in the divisionist application of tone. However, his use of pigment is thicker and more sensual than that of Seurat, more like that in Seurat's sketches. Moreover, from the few works known to us, he appears to have favoured a more sombre palette, something quite unusual among those associated with Impressionism, with the exception of Seurat's Parade. Although clearly developing in a direct line from Seurat, Pourtau nevertheless displayed a personality of his own.