Paul Signac

Ginette Signac-Cachin (the artist's daughter), Paris
Marlborough Fine Art Ltd., London
Acquired from the above by the family of the present owner in 1954

Paris, Grand Palais, 40ème Exposition des artistes indépendants, 1930, no. 3953
Paris, Grand Palais, 46ème Exposition des artistes indépendants, 1936, no. 3064
Paris, Musée National d'Art Moderne, P. Signac, 1951, no. 34
London, Marlborough Fine Art Ltd., Paul Signac 1863-1935, Retrospective Exhibition, 1954, no. 21

Gustave Kahn, "L'Exposition des Indépendants", in Le Quotidien, 17th January 1930, p. 4
"L'Imagier, Le Salon des Indépendants. Cet après-midi vernissage", in L'Œuvre, 17th January 1930, p. 4
Van der Pyl, "Le vernissage du Salon des Indépendants", in Le Petit Parisien, 17th January 1930, p. 4
Louis Paillard, "Au Salon des Indépendants", in Le Petit Journal, 17th January 1930, pp. 1-2
Thiébault-Sisson, "Le Salon des Indépendants. La peinture. Les survivants de la période héroïque", in Le Temps, 17th January 1930, p. 3
Raymond Escholier, "Le Salon des Indépendants", in La Dépêche de Toulouse, 18th January 1930, pp. 1-2
Louis Léon-Martin, "Le 41ème Salon des Indépendants a été verni aujourd'hui", in Paris Soir, 18th January 1930, pp. 1-2
G. J. Gros, "La semaine artistique", in Paris-Midi, 21st January 1930, illustrated
Jean Chaboseau, "Le Salon des Indépendants", in La  Bretagne à Paris, 25th January 1930
Le Cri de Paris, 26th January 1930, p. 9
S. B. de Charnage, "Chronique artistique. Le Salon des Indépendants", in La Croix, 28th January 1930, p. 3
Jenny Olivier, "Manifestation artistique", in Le Foyer des arts, January-February 1930
Georges Turpin, "Le Salon des Indépendants", in Partisans, January-February 1930, p. 22
Ariel, La Vie, 1st February 1930, p. 56
P. L., "A travers le Salon des Indépendants", in L'Art et les artistes, February 1930, p. 174
M. Facy, "La Bretagne au Salon des Indépendants", in La Volonté bretonne, 2nd February 1930
Gustave Kahn, "Exposition des Indépendants", in Mercure de France, 15th February 1930, p. 200
Françoise Cachin, Signac, Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre peint, Paris, 2000, no. 590, illustrated p. 333

The canvas is not lined and there are no signs of retouching under UV light. Apart from some very light surface dirt which could be removed, this work is in very good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

L'Odet à Quimper is a superb example of Paul Signac's mature style, a subtle exploration of the nuances of light and its reflection off water, combined with a chromatic richness. According to the contemporary critic Felix Fenéon, the 'chromatic opulence in Paul Signac's paintings decorates deliberate, audacious and rhythmic compositions which inevitably bring to mind the names of great masters such as Poussin and Claude Lorrain...' (quoted in Jean Sutter (ed.), The Neo-Impressionists, Greenwich, 1970, p. 60).

A chief exponent of Neo-Impressionism, Signac adopted the pointilliste brush stroke in 1886 and continued to paint with variations of this technique for the rest of his life. In the last few decades of his career, Signac worked extensively in watercolour and his paintings from this period are often based on ideas explored in his works on paper rather than on specific sites. This technique distanced Signac from the plein-air painting developed by the Impressionist painters, emphasizing the artist's conception of painting as a re-formulation of the relationships between paint, colour and light.

In this work, representing the Odet river which runs through the Brittany town of Quimper, the composition is dominated by the relationship between sky and water, with the town and the boats in between, pivoting on the shifting colour correlations between white and blue. Signac anchors the painting with two strong forms described in vibrant colours: the yacht with its tall mast to the left, and to the right, Quimper's 13th century Cathédrale Saint-Corentin, whose towers are echoed by the shape of the mast.

COMP: 431D07008_COMP
Signac at the tiller of his yacht Olympia.