La Rochelle 1930

Paul Signac sketched ‘La Rochelle’ in watercolor, probably on location in 1930, judging by the inscription on the lower right. Look at how these transparent washes of blues, greens, pinks, and yellows describe the port with its towers and boats. I can almost see him standing there with his paper, squinting at the scene, trying to capture the way the light hits the water. Signac was a master of color, and you can really see how he uses it here to create depth and atmosphere. The colors feel light and airy, like a summer day. Maybe he was thinking about the play of light and shadow, and how to capture that fleeting moment. I wonder how much of it was planned and how much was intuitive. Maybe Signac felt a kinship with other painters like Monet, who were also chasing after light and atmosphere. There’s a conversation going on between artists, across time. Painting offers a way of seeing and experiencing the world, full of ambiguity and uncertainty. It’s open to interpretation and invites us to bring our own experiences to the act of looking.