Bridge at Auxerre

Bridge at Auxerre (1902) was painted in the Burgundy town of Auxerre on the river Yonne, where Signac stopped during one of his inland sailing voyages. Auxerre's Gothic cathedral, medieval streets, and the ancient bridge over the Yonne gave him an unusually historic architectural subject within a riparian setting. By 1902 Signac was the undisputed leader of Neo-Impressionism following Seurat's death, actively travelling and extending divisionism's range of subjects. Pola Museum of Art, Japan.

The ancient stone bridge and cathedral beyond are built from warm ochre and rose mosaic patches, the Yonne river below rendered in cooler blues and grey-greens. The cathedral's silhouette against the sky introduces a strong vertical element unusual in Signac's typically horizontal river compositions.