French artist Paul Signac’s “Sunday,” an oil on canvas painting measuring 150×150 cm was created between 1888-1890. The painting shows a busy harbor scene with sailboats, steamships, and other vessels sailing in the calm Mediterranean waters. The painting’s subject is typical of the Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist movements that were popular in France during the period.
Paul Signac was one of the leading painters associated with these types of movement. He embraced the coloristic principles of Impressionism, which placed a great emphasis on light and shade as well as color relationships. The artwork was part of Salon des Independants along with another popular work by Signac, “Sulfur.”
Signac and Georges Seurat both experimented with pointillism or divisionism techniques; however, their styles were markedly different from each other. “Sunday” shows Signac’s unique approach to this technique while highlighting the use of complementary colors to create depth and texture.
Today, “Sunday” is considered an outstanding example of Pointillism or Divisionism technique. It resides in a private collection; thus may not be available for public viewing in museums or exhibitions regularly.