Pont-l'Abbé

Artist Paul Signac (Paris, France, 1863 - 1935)

Date1932

Mediumchalk and watercolour on paper

ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings

DimensionsSight Size: Height: 27.1 cm, Width: 43.6 cm
Frame: Height: 48.5 cm, Width: 63.6 cm

AcquisitionPurchased in 1964 with income from the Jaffrey Fund.

CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDAG003782

Keywords

About MeFrom 1902, Signac increasingly painted in watercolour, producing the rapidly executed, intuitive pictures which can be claimed as his most distinctive contribution to French art.

Signac was a keen sailor who yachted all around the coast of France - his favoured maritime subject matter records these travels and also reflects his abiding love of the sea. Pont l'Abbé is one of the small harbours in the north west of Brittany, a coastline that he often visited. In this work, the main masses of boat, trees and buildings have been outlined in rhythmic, vigorous strokes of black chalk, revealing that Signac was a draughtsman as well as a colourist. In watercolour, Signac has brought out the tints of autumn in the trees on the left and he employs the striking complementaries of yellow and blue, bestowing a vibrancy upon the scene.

More About Me

Collections Wall

Your eye may be drawn first to the ship, but look at all of the amazing shapes and colours in the trees and the background.