Notre-Dame

Notre-Dame (1920) shows Signac returning to one of Paris's most iconic monuments in the late phase of his career. Throughout his life Signac painted Paris's major landmarks and river scenes with divisionist technique: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Pont-Neuf, and now Notre-Dame. By 1920 his method had evolved considerably from early systematic dotwork, employing larger strokes and freer colour juxtaposition. The painting dates from the post-war period when Signac remained a central figure in French avant-garde painting. Wallraf-Richartz Museum.

The cathedral's massive stone facade is treated as a chromatic problem: how to render grey medieval stone as warm and cool colour without neutralising it. Signac's large mosaic strokes of blue, lavender, and ochre build the facade's mass while maintaining chromatic liveliness. The Seine reflection below extends the colour field.