Grand Canal (Venise) 1905

Paul Signac made this painting of the Grand Canal in Venice with oil on canvas. Look at all those little dots! It's so process-oriented; you can really see the labor and time that went into building up the image. The surface has this shimmering quality because of the texture. Thick strokes of contrasting color sitting right next to each other, like the pinks and yellows creating the sky. You get this vibrating sensation. It’s not just about depicting a scene, but about how we perceive color and light. Focus on the gondolas in the foreground; See how each little brushstroke feels deliberate, part of this overall mosaic? The strokes work together to create something bigger. Signac reminds me a bit of Chuck Close, in that they both used a grid-like structure and a modular approach to painting. Signac wasn't trying to hide the work in his process; he was celebrating it. Art isn’t about perfection, it’s about exploration, and conversation.