Paul Signac (1863-1935) - Lot 307

Paul Signac (1863-1935) Application of M. Ch. Henry's chromatic circle (Program for the Théâtre Libre, 1888-1889 season). 1888. Lithograph. [185 x 160]. Kornfeld and Wick 4; Aitken 2. Color printing. Good proof on bristol, bearing on verso the printed program for the 5th evening, Thursday, January 31, 1889 (Les Résignés; L'Échéance). Lower left corner torn, missing. Normal narrow margins. Provenance: Michel Romand (1929-2013), great-grandson of Edmond Sagot (1857-1917)."The man in the medallion looking out over the horizon is reminiscent of André Antoine, renowned for playing with his back to the audience. Like a navigator, he is questioning the future, that of the Théâtre Libre, whose initials frame the program. This lithograph by the Neo-Impressionist painter applies the chromatic circle theory of physicist Charles Henry, a contemporary of Paul Signac." (G. Aitken, Artistes et Théâtres d'Avant-Garde, Programmes de Théâtre illustrés, Paris 1890-1900, exhibition catalog, Promédia, 1991, p. 15.)