Twee sleepboten bij de Pont des Arts 1927

Paul Signac made this print, "Twee sleepboten bij de Pont des Arts," using black ink to capture the likeness of two tugboats. The pont de Arts sits in the background. Signac, like me, was no stranger to painting en plein air. Just imagine him perched by the water, squinting, as he translates the scene onto the copper plate. Those smokestacks are particularly amazing, rising with such solidity. His lines capture the essence of their industrial prowess. I bet Signac thought a lot about his artistic peers, like Monet and the impressionists. After all, they were all invested in capturing transient moments, the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere. And that is what he achieved here, using the etching needle to hatch areas of shadow. Thinking about how one artist builds upon the achievements of another makes you realize art is such a conversation across time.