Boat in Port c. 1929 - 1931

Paul Signac made this painting of a boat in port with watercolor and crayon, and there’s something so immediate about it. Signac’s clearly working through the scene right in front of him, letting the marks describe the quivering reflections on the water, the bulk of the boat, and the looming clouds. I’m drawn to the way he uses the crayon lines, especially in the sky. They create a rhythm, a kind of shorthand for capturing the atmospheric weight, but they’re also so present as marks. You can feel Signac’s hand moving across the page, deciding where to press and where to lift. The transparency of the watercolor lets the paper breathe and it’s cool how the white of the paper becomes part of the painting. The way he orchestrates this combination of crayon and watercolor is like a dance between intention and accident. It reminds me of someone like Marsden Hartley, who shared a similar impulse to capture the felt experience of a place. Ultimately, it’s this blend of observation and improvisation that makes art so alive.