Paul Signac: A Genius of Pointillism
Who was this man that had “no formal art training?” ( TMA 152) Paul Signac was a French artist. His life was signified through his growth as an artist which began at an early age and was influenced by Neo-Impressionism. Signac’s Entrance to the Grand Canal, Venice is a beautiful painting that uses Signac’s unique pointillism technique and has vibrant colors that catch the viewer's eye. Signac was a talented artist with a unique style and life that created many beautiful pieces of artwork.
Upon visiting the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) there was one painting that caught my attention as I entered the gallery: Paul Signac’s Entrance to the Grand Canal, Venice. I choose this painting because of the colors and the unique brushstrokes that make up the scene. Signac painted the portrait in 1905 after sailing to Venice for the first time (Hughes 80). I will discuss this painting and its’ special aspects and attributes throughout the paper. The painting was located at the Toledo Art Museum in Gallery 35 and the ID number is 1952.78.
History
Paul Signac (1863-1935) was a French artist, writer, and printmaker (Turner 697). Signac was the only child from a prosperous family both his father and grandfather owned a modish tack shop in Paris whose patriots include the Emperor Napoleon III (Stanely 44). At the age of 16 Signac’s father died due to tuberculosis, it was then the family sold the tack shop for a substantial amount of money. Signac quit school at a young age with the permission of his mother, so he could seek out his interest to painting, with no formal education in art Signac basically taught himself (Stanely 44).
Signac prosperous family left him a wealthy generous man, who would often bought art paintings for his friends. Signac passion was sailing, in fact on one of his ventures he sailed the Mediterranean coast of France (Hughes 80). Signac was vibrant in life, energetic and eager to learn, exceptional writer,...