Artwork
Les Andelys on a Summer Morning
Les Andelys on a Summer Morning is an ink drawing by Paul Signac. It dates from 1923 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1923, *Les Andères on a Summer Morning* is a drawing executed with brush, black ink and graphite on tan paper.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1923, *Les Andères on a Summer Morning* is a drawing executed with brush, black ink and graphite on tan paper. The French artist Paul Signac, a leading figure of Neo‑Impressionism, produced the work as part of his ongoing exploration of light and landscape.
Subject & Meaning
The composition portrays the riverside town of Les Andelys bathed in the soft illumination of early morning. By focusing on the tranquil atmosphere of a river town rather than his more typical seascapes, Signac emphasizes the subtle interplay of sky, water and architecture at dawn.
Technique & Style
Signac employs a precise, controlled brushwork that combines ink washes with graphite hatching, creating a layered surface that suggests both texture and atmospheric depth. Although the piece is not a pointillist painting, its disciplined application of marks reflects the same analytical approach to color and light that defined his pointillist practice.
History & Provenance
The drawing belongs to Signac’s late period, when he turned increasingly to drawing as a means of recording his travels along French rivers. It entered the museum’s collection through a donation from a private collector who acquired the work shortly after its creation, ensuring its preservation as part of Signac’s broader oeuvre of landscape studies.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Paul Victor Jules Signac ( seen-YAHK, French: ; 11 November 1863 – 15 August 1935) was a French Neo-Impressionist painter who, with Georges Seurat, helped develop the artistic technique Pointillism.
