Les Andelys 1923

Paul Signac sketched Les Andelys with watercolor and graphite, and what strikes me is how light it feels. Signac starts with an impression, just bare outlines of the landscape, and then colors it in, improvising with gentle washes of blue, green, and yellow. I can imagine him standing en plein air with his paper and brush, trying to capture the essence of the scene before him: the light filtering through the trees, the reflection of the buildings in the water. Notice how the colors aren't quite realistic, yet they evoke a certain mood, a certain atmosphere. Signac was part of this neo-impressionist movement with Seurat; they thought about how we see, and how to make a painting that vibrates. Painters are always in conversation, and this piece echoes the pointillist technique, but with a more relaxed, freehand approach. It’s like he’s saying, "Here's my interpretation, my feeling about this place." And in that, there's room for all kinds of interpretations, all kinds of feelings.