ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the issue of touch as aesthetic appreciation from different standpoints, in order to understand the opposition between those who praise touch and those who consider that it must be hidden. It examines Signac's book, where he insists on the difference between Delacroix and Neo-Impressionism. The chapter focuses on the similarity between Neo-Impressionism and Delacroix, Signac insists of course on what they have in common, in the last part, however, he emphasizes the differences. Emphasis is made on "optical mixture", which is the method used by Neo-Impressionists, the so-called dot. The main feature of Neo-Impressionism is a faith in science and color science, on which Neo-Impressionists relied a lot. Note that the Neo-Impressionist technique is then rather complex and cannot be limited to "pointillism". Signac insisted a lot on the fact that the so-called dots are just a means and cannot be considered as characteristic of Neo-Impressionism.
