Paul Signac was a French Neo-Impressionist. He developed Pointillism with artist Georges Seurat and this work is a wonderful example of this style. This painting is a collection of colored dots, “points,” of paint. It is a masterwork of depth, color and patience!  It is in the collection of the Musee d’Orsay in Paris.

Signac chooses brilliant colors around the color wheel. Here he combines values of yellow, values of its compliment purple, and other brilliant points of color to abstract and enliven a quiet moment on a bench. In the glow of color, a possibly familiar and overlooked scene like many in our own lives becomes a breathtaking fantasy.

Paul Signac paints memorable challenges for us. He calls us to see the world around us as anything but daily and repetitive. Signac seems to promise that if we open and relax our vision, we can find overlooked beauty everywhere. We might even imagine points of color as we allow ourselves to be deeply moved by God’s surrounding creation. In our lives of faith, our attention and wonder can be our prayers of gratitude. Amen.

In gratitude, faith and hope,

Sandy Prouty
Minister of Children and Families
Montview Church