Paul Signac
It was the Claude Monet exhibition of 1880 that prompted Paul Signac to leave school and become an Impressionist. Like an Impressionist, he began painting outdoors at Montmartre and along the riverbanks. The Monet exhibition of 1883 further solidified his confidence in his artistic role model. Signac followed Monet’s current dotted painting style and the clear composition of his still lifes, often set on a rising table surface, in this still life, the most ambitious of those from the early 1880s. Dominating the image is the blue-green book at the front edge of the table, with the recognizable title Au Soleil. The well-read Paul Signac, whose library was noted in early biographies, likely chose the book for this still life not only for its color. This travel narrative by Guy de Maupassant, published the previous year, aligned with his own life plan. Signac would later move to the Mediterranean and spend his life traveling. But first, in 1884, he participated in the first Salon des Indépendants and met Georges Seurat. Together, they developed the technique of Divisionism.
“What is Seurat doing? [...] I often think about his system; in any case, I will not follow it at all, but he is a true colorist, and the same goes for Signac, but in a different way. The Pointillists have found something new, and despite everything, I love them very much,” wrote Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo. Van Gogh had thoroughly engaged with the theory of Neo-Impressionism during his time in Paris from March 1886 to February 1888. He became friends with Signac, and, notably, Signac’s rare still life with a book was reflected in several of van Gogh’s still lifes featuring French novels, including Maupassant’s Bel-Ami.
Have a great and calm Wednesday, everyone! With a book or maybe with one of our DailyArt Courses?
P.S. Is this still life similar to the ones painted by Monet? Find out for yourself! Here are 4 delicious still lifes by Claude Monet.