The painting “Papal Palace Avignon” by Paul Signac is an amazing sunset tale, a symbol of a bygone era of papal rule

The Papal Palace Avignon is a painting by Paul Signac in the early 1900s. The technique of applying individual strokes, which is characteristic of pointillism, without mixing shades, creates the impression of a mosaic fresco.

The author looks at the architectural ensemble from the western bank of the Rhone River, possibly from a boat. The sunset colors the walls with pink and orange highlights. At this time of day, the warm spectrum dominates, so part of the sky appears greenish. Signac emphasized this effect in his work. The spans of the dilapidated bridge are marked in emerald color. From the right side of the picture creep purple evening shadows. Creating a view of the city of Avignon, the artist tried to enhance the impression of a grandiose centuries-old monument. The proportions of the building are not respected, the object is visually close, its surroundings are blurred. But the former residence of the head of the Catholic Church does not seem heavy. It seems to hover between sky and water, like an outlandish mirage of the past.

Name of the painting: “Papal Palace Avignon” (French Evening, Avignon (Chateau des Papes)).
Author: Paul Signac (1863-1935).
Year of writing: 1909
Size: 92.5 x 73.5 cm.
Style: Neo-impressionism, pointillism.
Genre: Landscape.
Technique: Oil painting.
Material: Canvas.
Location: Musee d’Orsay, Paris, France.

Paul Signac is a neo-impressionist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, one of the creators of the pictorial technique of pointillism.

Among French artists, he became a classic of the new direction during his lifetime. Bold experiments in drawing with separate strokes allowed the master to create amazing images filled with pure color.

The painting “The Papal Palace. Avignon by Paul Signac was the first oil painting that the state acquired almost immediately after its creation. Stored in the Musée d’Orsay since its opening in 1986.