Signac

Signac's art is about looking, interpreting, and giving substance to what is seen, thought, and felt. Through his eyes, we are carried on an incredible journey: landscapes, still lifes, ports, towns, boats, and bridges are seen and stated with clarity and conviction. Some of his works are small, sparkling jewels of color; others are large classical preparatory studies; many are simply masterful drawings and watercolors. Signac uses bold washes of ink, discerning color, and descriptive lines as he documents his travels and observations. Interestingly, the passing of tranquillity with the advent of twentieth-century technology is treated with caring detachment. His objective nature, acute eye, and sensitivity allow him to make art out of what is before him. It is a revelation to experience the universe of Paul Signac.

Unique works on paper are the main focus of our museum collection; consequently, it is especially meaningful for the Arkansas Arts Center to offer this collection, exhibition, and catalogue of superb drawings and watercolors by Paul Signac.

One of the more intriguing aspects of collecting Signac drawings and watercolors arises out of the absence of a catalogue raisonne. The universe of opportunity is simply not defined. The collector is left to speculate about the quantity, quality, and variety, not to mention availability, of work produced. The number of Signac works on paper that are known to be in museums is not great. One can only wonder how many rest in the hands of private collectors, or how many may have been destroyed through the years.

Enough people have asked "Why Signac?" that a certain level of introspection has resulted, which I would like to share. Despite all the uproar of life, what this artist chose to record are scenes of balance and order-nature at its best. Signac often depicts scenes of transition from agrarian to industrial society. Bridges, steam engines, cranes, hoists, and, particularly, nautical expressions of the industrial revolution are portrayed in abundance. Yet one wonders how this lover of sailboats actually felt about "progress." Most harbor scenes reflect a juxtaposition of the old and the new. There is no evidence that he ever acknowledged the existence of aircraft. Signac's commitment to the precepts of NeoImpressionism and Divisionism is wonderfully outlined and analyzed in Paul Signac and Color in NeoImpressionism by Floyd Ratliff. Certainly the influence of Signac's concepts on his contemporaries and successive generations of artists has been widely acknowledged.