Blessing of the Tuna Fleet at Groix

Paul Signac

1923

Oil on canvas

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Paul Signac was an avid sailor who owned 32 boats and loved to travel. This landscape depicts tuna boats in the Groix harbor of Brittany, on the west coast of France. The sailboats are partaking in a century-old blessing ceremony, praying for a safe journey and bountiful catch. By juxtaposing complementary colorful dots alongside one another, Signac achieves an energetic effect in this lively yet harmonious composition. His mastery of the pointillist technique renders a luminous surface in the detailed mosaic. Gallery G367 The William Hood Dunwoody Fund, the John R. Van Derlip Fund and Gift of funds from Bernice Dalrymple