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Lot Essay
Paul Signac was instantly captivated by the small fishing town of La Rochelle when he visited it in 1911, and over the course of the next few years he returned there several times to work. Asked in 1922 why he painted La Rochelle so often, Signac explained, "I go there for the boats: for the color of the hulls and the sails. A magnificent sight! They come from all over to sell fish, it's like a library of boats" (quoted in M. Ferretti-Bocquillon, Signac 1863-1935, exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2001, p. 271). He may also have been drawn to the town for its reputation as one of the largest harbors on the coast. Like his good friend Gustave Caillebotte, Signac was also a passionate yachtsman, owning a total of thirty-two boats in his life-time, including the five-ton cutter Olympia named after Manet's masterpiece of the same name.
The town's old harbor was built in the 13th century; the Tour de la Chaîne and the Tour Saint-Nicolas at the entrance of the harbor, visible in the present painting on the left and on the right, are landmarks symbolic of the whole town. In the 14 month siege of Huguenot strongholds in La Rochelle, Cardinal Richelieu destroyed most of the coastal fortifications surrounding the harbor but deliberately preserved these two towers. Miraculously, the towers were not destroyed years later when Germany established a submarine naval base in the harbor during World War II and the area was heavily bombed.
La Rochelle, Le bassin à flots (no. 2) is representative of Signac's mature style, which is notable for its larger brushstroke, applied in "mosaic-like blocks of paint, placed separately on the white-primed canvas, and sometimes at an angle to suggest directional movement. The priming is often left visible around the touches, and gives the painting a luminosity, alongside the richness of its color" (J. House, Post-Impressionism, exh. cat., Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1979, p. 140). In the present painting, Signac explores the relationship between the towers and boats and their reflections in the water. The subtle hues of pigment intermingle to produce a luminescent effect on the harbor.
The town's old harbor was built in the 13th century; the Tour de la Chaîne and the Tour Saint-Nicolas at the entrance of the harbor, visible in the present painting on the left and on the right, are landmarks symbolic of the whole town. In the 14 month siege of Huguenot strongholds in La Rochelle, Cardinal Richelieu destroyed most of the coastal fortifications surrounding the harbor but deliberately preserved these two towers. Miraculously, the towers were not destroyed years later when Germany established a submarine naval base in the harbor during World War II and the area was heavily bombed.
La Rochelle, Le bassin à flots (no. 2) is representative of Signac's mature style, which is notable for its larger brushstroke, applied in "mosaic-like blocks of paint, placed separately on the white-primed canvas, and sometimes at an angle to suggest directional movement. The priming is often left visible around the touches, and gives the painting a luminosity, alongside the richness of its color" (J. House, Post-Impressionism, exh. cat., Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1979, p. 140). In the present painting, Signac explores the relationship between the towers and boats and their reflections in the water. The subtle hues of pigment intermingle to produce a luminescent effect on the harbor.