Groix, le phare 1923

Paul Signac created this watercolour titled 'Groix, le phare.' The composition pulses with an energetic rhythm, dominated by vertical lines that create a sense of height and activity. The lighthouse, boldly striped, stands as a key structural element, anchoring the scene. Signac's use of colour—varied greens, yellows and blues—brings a vibrant yet dreamlike quality to the scene. The artist employs broken brushstrokes, a hallmark of the pointillist technique he adapted, which allows light to shimmer across the water and architecture, invoking a sense of fleeting movement. Signac, like other modernists, sought to capture subjective experience through the careful arrangement of form and colour. The fluidity of the watercolour medium contrasts with the rigid structure of the lighthouse, challenging our perceptions. This interplay destabilizes traditional landscape painting. Notice the transparency and layering. These invite a continuous re-evaluation of what we see and how we interpret reality.