Klokketårnet i Viviers 1928

Paul Signac made this watercolour painting of The Clock Tower in Viviers in 1928. It’s a dreamy street scene where every line feels tentative, like a question. Look how Signac uses the watercolour like it's a suggestion, not a statement. See the clock face on the tower? It's not perfectly round but feels like a blurred memory of a clock. The strokes are thin and translucent, letting the light flood through, giving everything a hazy, ethereal quality. This isn't about architectural precision; it's about capturing a mood, a moment. The blue shadows on the buildings aren’t just shadows; they’re emotional undertones, whispers of coolness in the sun-drenched scene. Signac’s fellow pointillist, Seurat, was interested in a similar interplay between colour and light, but Signac’s touch is softer, less scientific. The ambiguity in his work is where its charm lies; it invites us to fill in the gaps, to co-create the scene.