Ciboure

Ciboure is a painting by Signac of the Basque coastal town of Ciboure, adjacent to Saint-Jean-de-Luz near the Spanish border. Signac visited the Basque coast on several occasions and was drawn to its combination of distinctive white-and-red-beamed architecture and Atlantic fishing harbour. Ciboure was a picturesque fishing community whose harbour offered the kind of boat-filled, colour-rich subject that had attracted him throughout his career. The exact date of this work is unrecorded.

Signac's characteristic divisionist or post-divisionist mosaic technique renders the harbour scene in vivid contrasting colour patches. The white Basque architecture and red trim of the buildings introduce a strong chromatic pattern typical of the region's distinctive vernacular. Water reflections below extend the colour composition.