Les Andelys. Matin. Été 1923

Paul Signac made "Les Andelys. Matin. Été" with oil on canvas, laying down paint in a mosaic of tiny, distinct dots, like a Seurat but looser, breezier. The surface shimmers with light. Up close, you see individual touches; red, yellow, blue, all separate but blending in your eye. Notice the trees to the left, how Signac uses a mix of greens and blues to capture the shimmering light on the leaves, a kind of optical mixing that vibrates on the canvas. Signac was really into colour theory, so he’s using these ideas about complementary colours to create a sense of depth and atmosphere. It's kind of scientific but also super intuitive, capturing a fleeting moment in time. You might think of Pissarro who was an earlier Impressionist but who adopted this pointillist technique later in his career, showing art as a conversation, an ongoing exploration. Signac invites us to see the world in a new way, one dot at a time.