Harmonious Times

Paul Signac prints bring the sparkling light and colour of French harbours and the Mediterranean into your home. Signac developed Pointillism with Georges Seurat, painting with small dots and strokes of pure colour that blend in the viewer's eye, and as a keen sailor he painted ports and the sea all his life. Our collection of fine art prints includes his seascapes, harbour views, Paris scenes and watercolours.

About Paul Signac

Paul Victor Jules Signac was born in Paris on 11 November 1863. His parents wanted him to become an architect, but he preferred to draw the Seine, and an exhibition of Claude Monet's work in 1880 inspired him. He also took up sailing.

In 1884 he met Monet and Georges Seurat. Struck by Seurat's scientific method and colour theory, he became Seurat's supporter, friend and heir, and gave up Impressionist brushstrokes for small dots of pure colour. The same year he helped found the Société des Artistes Indépendants, whose motto was "no jury nor awards", and he was its president from 1908 until his death.

In 1886 he met Vincent van Gogh, painting with him at Asnières in 1887 and visiting him at Arles in 1889. He was drawn to anarchist ideas and contributed to Jean Grave's paper with his friends Henri-Edmond Cross and Maximilien Luce. In 1892 he sailed to Saint-Tropez, where he later bought a house called La Hune. His book From Eugène Delacroix to Neo-Impressionism (1898) explained the movement's colour theory. He died in Paris on 15 August 1935.

Style and Subjects

Signac's Neo-Impressionism places small touches of pure colour side by side so that they mix in the viewer's eye, creating shimmering light. His early dots were small and precise; later his strokes became larger, square and mosaic-like, with brilliant, almost jewel-like colour.

His great subjects are harbours, sailboats, lighthouses and the Mediterranean coast, especially Saint-Tropez, along with Venice, Rotterdam and Paris. He was also a fine watercolourist, working quickly in loose washes and pencil.

Famous Works

• Breakfast (1886), Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo. A family at table in a still, Pointillist interior.
• Portrait of Félix Fénéon (Opus 217) (1890), Museum of Modern Art, New York. The critic in profile against a swirling, patterned background.
• Women at the Well (1892), Musée d'Orsay, Paris. Provençal women at a well under a blazing sky.
• In the Time of Harmony (1895). A large vision of a happy anarchist utopia by the sea.
• Capo di Noli, near Genoa (1898), Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne. A rocky Italian headland in blazing colour.
• Venice, Grand Canal (1905), Toledo Museum of Art. The Grand Canal in a mosaic of brilliant strokes.
• The Port of Rotterdam (1907), Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam. A busy harbour full of ships and smoke.

Decorating with Signac Prints

Signac's harbours and seascapes bring light and colour to living rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms, especially in coastal and Mediterranean homes. Their blues, oranges and greens suit white walls and natural materials, and a pair such as Cassis, Cap Lombard and Venice, Grand Canal makes a cheerful arrangement.

His watercolours of ports, such as Saint-Malo, are lighter and suit a hallway, study or guest room, and his Paris views fit any space for city lovers.

FAQ

What is Pointillism?

Pointillism is a technique of painting with small dots or touches of pure colour that blend in the viewer's eye. Signac developed it with Georges Seurat in the 1880s.

What art movement was Paul Signac part of?

Signac was a leading Neo-Impressionist. After Seurat's death he became the movement's main spokesman, explaining its ideas in From Eugène Delacroix to Neo-Impressionism.

Why did Signac paint so many harbours?

He was a keen sailor all his life, and he loved ports, boats and the sea. He spent his summers in the south of France, especially at Saint-Tropez.

Did Signac know Van Gogh?

Yes. They met in Paris in 1886, painted together at Asnières in 1887, and Signac visited Van Gogh in Arles in 1889.

Where can I see Signac's paintings?

Works are in the Musée d'Orsay, the Museum of Modern Art, the Kröller-Müller Museum, the Hermitage, the Toledo Museum of Art and the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.

Related Artists

• Georges Seurat: co-founder of Pointillism and his close friend
• Henri-Edmond Cross: fellow Neo-Impressionist and friend in the south of France
• Maximilien Luce: fellow Neo-Impressionist and anarchist sympathiser
• Théo van Rysselberghe: Belgian Neo-Impressionist of the same circle
• Charles Angrand: fellow Neo-Impressionist