St Tropez 1906

Paul Signac made this watercolour painting, St Tropez, sometime around the turn of the century, using loose strokes and a mostly warm palette. For me, the beauty of watercolour painting lies in its process. It’s all about letting the water do its thing, letting the pigments mix and mingle in unexpected ways. Here, the paper peeks through in places, giving it a light, airy feel, like a sketch done on location rather than a finished painting made in the studio. It's interesting how Signac uses dark outlines to define the shapes of the boats and buildings. These sharp lines add a touch of structure to the otherwise fluid and dreamy scene. Look at the masts, they're almost like scribbles against the sky, giving the whole composition a playful energy. It reminds me a little of Dufy’s Fauvist seascapes, all about capturing a sense of place with as few marks as possible. Art isn't about perfection; it’s about capturing a feeling, a moment, and Signac definitely does that here.