Paul Signac

French artist Paul Signac, intelligent and well-read, was heavily influenced by modern theories on optics and color and developed Neo-Impressionism (also known as "Divisionism" and "Pointillism") in collaboration with Georges Seurat. Signac's legacy extends beyond his renowned paintings and meticulous preparatory sketches; he was also an innovator in experimenting with a range of media.

Biography of Paul Signac

Paul Signac was born into a comfortably middle-class family in Paris in the late 19th century, a critical period of Modernism's development. The family's early relocation to Montmartre, a thriving artistic environment, profoundly influenced Signac's immersion in the visual arts and avant-garde culture.

In his youth, Signac was captivated by the Impressionists, pioneers of artistic innovation. With the encouragement of his liberal parents, he frequented exhibitions, absorbing the Impressionist aesthetic. At 16, Signac attended the fifth Impressionist exhibition, where Claude Monet's work left a lasting impression on him. 

In 1880, the pivotal year of Signac's life, his beloved father Jules passed away from tuberculosis. After his father's death, his mother Héloise decided to sell the family business and relocate to the new Parisian suburb of Asnières. Despite being a good student, Signac was unhappy in Asnières and chose to leave school, returning to Montmartre where he rented a room, dividing his time between Asnières and Paris.

Although Asnières wasn't the ideal setting for an emerging avant-garde artist, it offered abundant subject matter for Signac's work. He created numerous drawings and paintings in the surroundings of Asnières, from the house's garden to the bridges of the chic new Parisian suburb, the banks of the Seine River, and the factory smokestacks of Clichy, an industrial area of Paris at the time.

While in Montmartre, Signac socialized extensively, frequenting popular venues like the infamous cabaret Le Chat Noir, which he began visiting in 1881. He established connections with artists, writers, musicians, and cultural influencers through Paris nightlife and specialized circles like avant-garde literary groups.

Attending meetings of Naturalist writers at the well-known Brasserie Gambrinus and writers' homes like Robert Caze's, Signac forged friendships with critics Gustave Kahn and Félix Fénéon. Many of these early acquaintances later became strong supporters of his artistic style. Signac's involvement in avant-garde literary circles went beyond socializing; he was also a talented writer himself. In 1882, he wrote satirical pieces critiquing Zola's occasionally "ponderous" style. 

Throughout the early 1880s, Signac continued to visit exhibitions. He credited a specific show in June 1880 as pivotal in his decision to pursue art, particularly painting. This exhibition featured works by Monet at the Parisian offices of the cultural journal La Vie Moderne. Signac admired not only Monet's Impressionist style but also his choice of common themes, often painting en plein air, outdoors, and depicting even the most mundane subjects.

Signac's earliest paintings, created between the winter of 1881 and 1882 when he was just 18, were primarily self-taught endeavors. Although he received some basic training in the studio of portraitist and history painter Émile Bin, the lessons were free of charge. Signac immersed himself in studying the works of leading Impressionists such as Monet, Manet, Caillebotte, and Degas.

A favored painting location for Signac was the coastal town of Port-en-Bessin, evident in his depictions from 1883 which show the influence of Monet's works. By this time, the young artist had fully embraced the Impressionist style. 

In 1884, Signac had progressed enough as a painter to submit some of his works to the first Salon des Artistes Indépendants, sponsored by a newly formed organization of avant-garde artists. 

In 1884, the same year as the exhibition, Signac met Impressionist artist Armand Guillaumin. The following year, in 1885, he encountered Camille Pissarro. Both established Impressionist painters provided advice and encouragement to Signac.

While the influence of Seurat, whose work he greatly admired, had not yet manifested in Signac's painting, he began regular meetings with Seurat. Both artists shared a fascination with the color theory of Michel-Eugène Chevreul and recent optical theories related to art and aesthetics. In 1885, the publication "Introducing a Scientific Aesthetics" by Charles Henry, advocating for an art grounded in scientific principles, was particularly influential in inspiring the Neo-Impressionist technique.

By December of 1885, Signac, Seurat, and their fellow group members had solidified their unique style of Neo-Impressionism. Both artists were invited to display their new-style works in the eighth and final Impressionist exhibition, despite objections from Eugene Manet and Degas. Their work received positive critical reception. Meanwhile, Signac and Seurat not only formed a successful working relationship but also a close friendship. While Seurat tended to be introverted, Signac served as both a champion and a social organizer for the new style. He introduced Seurat to the Impressionists and Symbolist writers, benefiting from his older colleague's guidance and instruction.

In 1886, Signac met Vincent van Gogh in Paris, leading to a friendly working relationship between the two artists. They often painted together at places like Asnières, capturing both indoor and outdoor scenes. Van Gogh particularly admired Signac's loose brushwork. In 1889, Signac visited van Gogh in Arles and provided instruction on painting in the Neo-Impressionist style.

Signac's political engagement was notable. In 1888, he delved into anarchism, particularly embracing the ideas of Kropotkin and Jean Grave. Alongside Pissarro and friends Maximilien Luce and Angrand Cross, Signac regularly contributed financially to Grave's anarchist-communist publication, "Les Temps Nouveaux" (New Times). His political beliefs often intertwined with his art, exemplified by a painting initially titled "In the Time of Anarchy" (1893), later changed to "In the Time of Harmony" due to the targeting of anarchists by authorities.

The collaboration between Signac and Seurat came to an end with Seurat's death in 1891, after nearly a decade of working together. Following Seurat's passing, Signac continued to paint in the Neo-Impressionist style, but his brushwork evolved to become looser, more expressive, and colorful.

In 1892, Signac married his longtime companion, Berthe Roblès, in Montmartre. Pissarro and Luce, among others, served as witnesses at the wedding. In 1897, the couple moved to an apartment in the renowned Castel Beranger, designed by Art Nouveau architect Hector Guimard. That same year, they acquired a house in Saint-Tropez in the South of France. Signac built a spacious studio on the property, completed in the late summer of 1898. There, the artist created some of his most vibrant and celebrated Neo-Impressionist works, often depicting boats, beaches, and seascapes.

By the time of the 1905 Salon des Indépendants, the Neo-Impressionist style had made a significant impact on the avant-garde art world. This influence was directly visible in Henri Matisse's "proto-Fauve" painting, "Luxe, Calme et Volupté" (Luxury, Calm, and Voluptuousness, 1904), which employed the Neo-Impressionist technique and Signac's bold, expressive palette. Matisse had read Signac's essay "From Eugène Delacroix to Neo-Impressionism" (1898-9), finding inspiration to adopt the new style. Signac even purchased Matisse's painting after the exhibition concluded.

Signac's creative output remained strong as he aged. Even into the early 20th century, he continued to produce art in various mediums such as watercolors, oil paintings, and drawings. In 1902, he exhibited over 100 watercolors at Siegfried Bing's Maison de l'Art Nouveau gallery in Paris. By 1911, watercolor had become his preferred medium, and he showcased a significant series titled "The Bridges of Paris" at the prestigious Bernheim-Jeune Gallery in Paris.

Paul Signac passed away in 1935, at the age of 71 due to septicemia. He is buried in the renowned Paris cemetery, Père Lachaise. 

Paul Signac's Art Style

From printmaking techniques like lithography and etching to watercolor and pen-and-ink, including detailed sketches made with tiny dots for his paintings, Paul Signac explored various artistic avenues. Regardless of the medium, he consistently avoided using lines, opting instead for forms that embraced abstraction.

Signac's deep admiration for Naturalism, particularly evident in his idolization of Émile Zola, found its way into his art. Signac's focus on the mechanics of optics and the study of color theory aligns him with a generation of artists who approached aesthetics with a scientific mindset, fostering paths for innovation. This scientific approach to aesthetics contributed to Signac's unique style and placed him among artists who sought new ways to express their art through a rigorous understanding of color and light.

The method known as "melange optique" ("optical mixture"), used by Signac, Seurat, and other Neo-Impressionists, involved placing dots of pure color separately on the canvas. When the viewer stepped back at least a couple of feet from the painting, the eye would mix the colors optically. The white or off-white of the canvas, left visible between the dots, became an integral part of the process, creating a shimmering effect. Signac described Neo-Impressionism as a technique where "the separated elements will be reconstituted into brilliantly colored lights."