Paris, Le Pont Des Arts c. 1933

Paul Signac made this watercolour and ink drawing, Paris, Le Pont Des Arts, with a light touch. It feels like he’s right there, quickly capturing the scene before him. The blues and greys create a sense of watery reflection. There’s a lone fisherman casting his line, and I can almost feel the stillness, the quiet concentration. Signac’s marks are so immediate, so present. You can see the influence of Impressionism, but with a more graphic sensibility. I bet he was thinking about how to distill the essence of the moment, how to capture the light and atmosphere with just a few strokes. There's a conversation going on, from Impressionism through Post-Impressionism and into something more modern, more about the structure beneath the surface. It’s a reminder that artists are always building on what came before.