Samois, Seine Landscape

Samois-sur-Seine landscape studies represent Signac's systematic approach to a single motif from different distances and conditions, building a body of work that documented divisionist color theory in application to the wooded Seine valley. The Samois paintings belong to the foundational period of his mature divisionist practice, when he was establishing the empirical record of colored light analysis that would underpin his theoretical writings. Working a familiar motif repeatedly allowed him to isolate specific color and atmospheric problems without the distraction of unfamiliar terrain.

The Seine valley landscape at Samois typically presents Signac with the problem of reflected forest color in moving water — the dense greens of the river's wooded banks creating complex optical mixtures in the water surface below. His dots in the water combine the greens of the reflected foliage with the intrinsic blues and greys of the river, producing the prismatic quality divisionist theory predicted.