Fishing Boats in La Rochelle c. 1919 - 1921

Paul Signac made 'Fishing Boats in La Rochelle' as a watercolor drawing; its wispy washes and sketched pencil lines create a feeling of being on the water, looking out to sea. You can see the artist improvising here, following his feelings, and making marks that hover between representation and abstraction. What was he thinking as he made this work? Maybe he wanted to capture the feeling of a windy day by the sea, the sensation of being on the water, the boats rocking gently in the waves. I like to think about the moment when he added those scribbled rain clouds – how that one gesture can change the whole feeling of the piece. Signac was part of the post-impressionist movement and influenced by pointillism, which focused on small, distinct dots of color. Although not strictly pointillist, you can see his interest in color theory here in the shades of blues, reds, and yellows that create a vibrant and luminous effect. Painters are always looking at each other's work, inspiring one another to try new things and express themselves in new ways. It’s a conversation across time, an ongoing experiment. Each mark is a record of a feeling, a thought, a moment in time.