Place de Clichy

Place de Clichy, in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, was among Signac's most overtly urban subjects — a busy boulevard intersection that connected his divisionist practice to the social modernity interests of the broader Impressionist and Post-Impressionist generation. The subject was familiar from Degas and Caillebotte, who had both painted the streets and intersections of Haussmann's remodeled Paris as emblems of modern urban life. Signac's version applied divisionist color analysis to the complex optical conditions of a busy Parisian street: reflected light from shop windows, the grey of paving, the varied colors of moving figures and vehicles.

The busy street scene requires Signac to analyze an unusually complex optical situation: multiple light sources, moving figures, reflective surfaces, and the spatial compression of a crowded urban intersection. His dots adapt to each element — longer and more directional on the pavement, more varied and broken in the crowd.