St. Tropez (Abstract) 1929

John Ferren created this watercolor, St. Tropez (Abstract), using a playful arrangement of shapes and colors. The composition dances with a tension between representation and abstraction. Patches of blues, reds, and yellows blend organically with the underlying paper. The fluid lines and forms suggest, but never fully commit to, recognizable figures. We might interpret this as a landscape, yet the semiotic structure resists simple decoding. Instead, Ferren seems to explore a vocabulary of form and color, where each element functions like a signifier in a language of pure visuality. In this way, Ferren destabilizes conventional ways of seeing. He encourages a more active engagement with the visual field. The painting's strength lies not in what it represents but in how it challenges us to reassess the act of perception itself.