Signac took inspiration from the methods he learned from his Impressionist contemporaries, Claude Monet and Georges Seurat. Signac and Seurat went on to work together to develop Pointillism. The closely related method of Divisionism, which separates colors side-by-side, causing the eye to blend them, much like pixelation does today, was a hallmark of their Neo-Impressionist style. Like many on his colleagues, Signac was inspired by the natural world, particularly the glittering water of the French coastline, and especially St. Tropez, where he had a home and studio.
Signac also painted alongside Vincent Van Gogh and Matisse, inviting them to his home on the coast. He went on to support their early work by displaying them in the Salon des Indépendants, of which he was a founding member. A strong supporter of anarchist movements, along with his friend Camille Pissarro, Signac had to censor his political leanings, which were considered too radical at the time.
