Edam Windmill (1896, Moulin d'Edam) by Paul Signac depicts a windmill towering above the flat Dutch countryside. Signac was exploring a looser, more rectangular brushstroke similar to a mosaic, as opposed to the precise dots common in pointillism. Here with dense layers of rhythmic, overlapping brushwork, each stroke is set at a particular angle to achieve a criss-cross effect in the sky, and halo effect around the sun. This windmill may have been inspired by those of Monet, an important figure within Signac’s artistic life. When he was asked what had prompted him to become an artist, Signac replied without hesitation, "It is Monet."