Harmonious Times 1895 - 1896

Paul Signac created 'Harmonious Times’ using lithography, a printmaking process involving drawing on stone and transferring that image to paper. Rather than traditional art materials, the lithographic crayon and printing press are rooted in the industrial revolution, enabling mass production of images. Notice how Signac uses this technology to create a scene of leisure, not labor? The image presents us with idealized figures relaxing by the sea, a vision of pastoral ease. But consider the amount of work it takes to create even this seemingly simple print. The lithographer must grind and prepare the stone, carefully draw the image, and then run it through the press multiple times for each color. This tension between the image and the means of its production is central to Signac's project. He invites us to consider the social context of artmaking itself, challenging the idea that fine art exists separately from the world of labor and production.