Paul Signac (November 11, 1863 – August 15, 1935)

Port of La Rochelle

1921

Early in life Signac came into contact with Monet and Seurat, and his art, which before 1884 was mostly streaming towards Impressionism (as the piece below shows), took a rapid turn into Pointillism (obviously influenced more by Seurat than Monet). And, later in life, Signac used his influence to push for the appreciation of Cubism and Fauvism. As some of you may recall (a very few some, perhaps), I lightly criticized Pointillism in an earlier post on Seurat; I take it back. I suppose then, as to some extent now, I link Pointillism almost singularly with Seurat, who, as I said in the post, I am more fond of as a Realist and Impressionist. This indelible link is probably caused from my childhood encounter with Seurat's paintings, which were the first Pointillist pieces I came across, and I cannot, as best as I try, shake it form myself. Despite all of what I've said, I love Signac's works, which I think are absolutely wonderful, especially the later works that through their experimentation with colors and form created something absolutely unique and fantastical.