FAMOUS ARTISTS BIRTHDAY - PAUL SIGNAC - POST and NEO IMPRESSIONIST - JUNO's DREAM by SEA DEAN

The Papal Palace, Avignon, oil on canvas, 1900, Musée d'Orsay, Paris

11 November 1863 Paul Victor Jules Signac was born in Paris, France. Interestingly, he had the same birthdate as Edouard Vuillard who I will honour in June on the anniversary of his death.

1882 Signac was painting on the quais in Paris. Imagine, you could have walked along the Seine in 1882 and bought a Signac straight from the artist and the paint would still be wet!. He then moved to Asnieres wher he painted till 1884.
In 1884 he met Claude Monet and Georges Seurat. He was struck by the methodical working methods and colour theory of Seurat and became a faithful friend, supporter and heir. Under Seurat's influence he abandoned the short brushstrokes of Impressionism to experiment with small dots of pure color, intended to combine and blend not on the canvas but in the viewer's eye, a defining feature of pointillism. This has always captivated me and I use some of the theories in my own work. One day I intend doing a neo-pointillist series but at the moment I don't feel I would do it justice.

Georges Seurat Portrait of Paul Signac, 1890, conté crayon

In 1886 he showed in the 8th Impressionist exhibition. During this period he often painted with Van Gogh and his influence can be seen when you compare the painting above with works by Van Gogh like his Wheat Field series.

On 7 November 1892 he married Berthe Roblès and his witnesses were fellow painters and archists, Alexandre Lemonier, Maximilien Luce, Camille Pissarro and Georges Lecomte. The marriage didn't last, but they remained friends for the rest of their lives.

1899 Signac published D'Eugene Delacroix au Neo-Impressionnisme which included his description of Neo-Impressionism and Divisionism He wrote several books and other articles which make an interesting read.

Signac loved to sail and after his marriage he began sailing his boat to almost all the ports of France, Holland, and around the Mediterranean as far as Constantinople. He brought back vibrant, colorful watercolors, sketched rapidly from nature, from which he created large studio canvases, carefully worked in small, mosaic-like squares of color, quite different from the tiny, variegated dots previously used by Seurat.

The top painting was completed at the same time Monet created his water lilies at Giverny; a prolific period where Monet produced many large canvases showing large, fast, almost wild brushstrokes and unusual colour combinations. At the same time Paul Signac was still carefully laying down separate dashes of colour, each one mixed with care and perfectly placed. He must have worn his shoes out going back and forth across the studio with loaded brush to lacate just the right spot.

Like many Neo Impressionists, he experimented with many styles and different media so he can be found in searches classified as a Post Impressionist, Neo Impressionist and a Pointillist.

15 August 1935 Paul Signac died in Marseilles, France.

For more information on Paul Signac click here.


Today's Daily Paintworks auction ...
JUNO'S DREAM 
Essence Painting by Sea Dean
14" X 7" Gallery Wrap Canvas
Professional Acrylic with UV protection and Peacock Feather

"Juno's Dream" ESSENCE PAINTING was inspired by the legend of Juno and the Peacock. It is one of a series of paintings which include real peacock feathers.


Buy now, gift wrap and relax with a smile when everyone is still rushing around in December. Everyone purchasing from now till 25th December 2013 receives a free print as a thank you.

To view my Gallery or purchase this painting please visit Daily Paintworks. Larger originals or prints may be available by contacting me.




Cat 12016 Juno's Dream