Paul Signac is not the most famous of the Impressionists, but he was an important figure in the history of the movement. Signac's contributions came after he met Georges Seurat in 1884, and became interested in Seurat's more formal approach to painting. Along with Seurat and fellow Impressionist Camille Pissarro, Paul Signac developed a style which would be termed by contemporary critics "Neo-Impressionism."

In paintings such as The Gas Tanks at Clichy and Snow, Boulevard de Clichy, Paris, Paul Signac employs Seurat's optical theories while maintaining a sense of the traditional Impressionist strategies favored by artists such as Claude Monet. At the Impressionists' eighth and final exhibition, Paul Signac's work hung beside Seurat's as a signal that traditional Impressionism was finished and a new wave of painting was on the horizon.

  • The Gas Tanks at Clichy: The Gas Tanks at Clichy by Paul Signac shows the influence of his fellow Impressionist, Georges Seurat. Read about Signac's The Gas Tanks at Clichy, from 1886.
  • Snow, Boulevard de Clichy, Paris: Signac's blend of Impressionism and Neo-Impressionism is apparent in his 1886 work Snow, Boulevard de Clichy, Paris. Learn about this Impressionist work.
Paul Signac met Georges Seurat in 1884 and became interested in Seurat's optical theories. On the next page we'll look closely at one of the paintings that came out of this meeting.

For more on Impressionist paintings, artists, and art history, see: