Paris, La Seine Au Pont Des Arts 1932

Paul Signac’s watercolor, Paris, La Seine Au Pont Des Arts, is a light, breezy dance of color and line. He’s not trying to nail down reality, he’s feeling it out, a bit like how I approach painting. Signac’s got this see-through way of working, like he’s barely touching the paper. The colors are like whispers – pale blues, pinks, and greens, with these quick, dark lines holding everything together. Look at the way he does the water, it’s just dabs and dashes, but you totally get the sense of the river moving. And those bare trees, scratchy and free, against the softer sky? It’s like a visual poem. It reminds me a bit of some of Boudin's beach scenes, but with a more modern, graphic edge. Signac’s not trying to give you all the answers, he’s inviting you to wander around in the painting and make your own connections, and maybe that's what art is all about anyway.