Saint Tropez, gale from east 1895

Curator: Here we have Paul Signac's "Saint Tropez, gale from east," created in 1895. It's a view of the coast rendered in oil, and it currently resides in a private collection. Editor: It hits me with an almost violent peace. Does that make sense? The colours are beautiful and serene, the blues and greens… but there’s this undeniable energy in the brushstrokes. The wind is almost palpable. Curator: Absolutely. That tension between tranquility and force is key. Signac, aligned with the Post-Impressionists, particularly the Pointillists, explored how colour could convey emotion and natural phenomena. The "gale" isn't just meteorological, it's psychological. It suggests a symbolic, even tumultuous, interior. Editor: So those short, separate brushstrokes—they aren't just about capturing light, it’s about showing feeling? It’s like looking at reality through broken glass. I feel a need to interpret what this place "means." Curator: Precisely. Neo-Impressionism and Post-Impressionism aimed to move beyond mere optical sensation toward a symbolic language. Signac would have used colour theory and the psychology of perception quite deliberately. He's representing an emotional reaction to the natural landscape, its constant push and pull of calm and disquiet. Look at how the vibrant oranges clash subtly with the blues, or how he captures those shapes of the mountains which reflect the colours of the waves. Editor: It feels modern even now. Something about that struggle to show interior space… like it has been abstracted on purpose. You get the sea, sky, shore... and a powerful urge to enter. I just felt as though I had actually spent time looking inward in order to express this interior energy on a painted surface. Curator: Post-Impressionists laid bare art's capacity to render lived experience in symbolic visual forms. Each colour and brushstroke work together to produce an overwhelming aesthetic experience. The beauty is heightened by our intuition of inner emotions and the memory of past encounters, especially as a symbol of Saint Tropez. Editor: So next time a storm is brewing I need to think beyond physical impact. I have now witnessed the symbolic possibilities of visual languages that suggest inner turmoil. Curator: Indeed, and Signac's storm may very well teach you something you did not previously know about yourself.