Paul Signac - In the Time of Harmony [1893-95]

The multiple titles of the piece also played a role in its ambiguous meaning, variously presenting the work as a scene of outdoor "harmony" or as an expression of protest and political resistance. The title of the work was originally In the Time of Anarchy. It was changed by self-censorship to In the Time of Harmony. But the painting maintains a utopian subtitle without being overtly anarchist: "The golden age is not in the past; it is in the future." The piece was originally meant to be the final piece of a larger series with other panels representing boat haulers, wreckers, and builders showing that France was far from a time of harmony but it was achievable if the country put in the work and made a change. This utopia would include all of the elements in the painting, creating a world where family, work, and play existed harmoniously.

 

While he was not one to shy away from a political statement in his work, Signac did so with undertones. For example, when he was creating the composition of the painting, he added in a rooster in the bottom right corner, which could serve equally as a symbol of a new dawn and as a reference to anarchist politics.

 

[Hôtel de ville de Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis - Oil on canvas, 310 x 410 cm]

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