La Dogana, Venise 1923

This shimmering view of Venice’s customs house is by Paul Signac, who, like his friend Seurat, painted with countless tiny dots of pure colour. Just imagine him, standing there, brush in hand, carefully dabbing the canvas, building up this luminous scene one little point at a time. I bet he was hot! And maybe swatting mosquitos… Look at how the colours mix in your eye, creating a vibrant, almost vibrating effect. It’s like the whole scene is alive with light and movement. I wonder what Signac was thinking as he painted those pink clouds, so fluffy and light. Did he see them as solid forms, or just fleeting moments of colour? What’s so cool about painting is that it lets you capture a feeling, an impression, rather than just a literal representation. Signac's practice was rooted in the ideas of Impressionism, but he took it a step further, into a realm of pure colour and light. And in turn, he inspired so many painters who followed. Painting is a way for artists to keep talking to each other.