Paimpol, the Fanny Crossfield

Paimpol, the Fanny Crossfield depicts the Breton harbour of Paimpol, historically famous as a base for the dangerous Iceland cod-fishing fleet. The 'Fanny Crossfield' appears to be the name of a boat in the harbour. Paimpol was a subject of literary as well as visual significance — Pierre Loti had set his celebrated 1886 novel Pêcheur d'Islande there — and its working harbour made it a compelling subject for a painter committed to maritime and labour subjects. Date unknown.

The harbour scene is rendered in Signac's characteristic divisionist mosaic, boat hulls and their reflections providing warm-cool chromatic contrasts in the working harbour setting. The Breton coastal light is cooler and more diffuse than the Mediterranean palette of his Saint-Tropez work.