Raoul Dufy
A witty artist who was talented in several fields
Raoul Dufy was born in 1877 in Le Havre, on the north coast of France. His was a very musical family, which accounts for the presence of certain themes in his work, such as concerts. At the age of 14 he went to work in an importer’s office, but from 1892 onwards was able to go to evening classes given by the painter Lhuillicr at the school of fine arts in Le Havre, where he met Othon Fricsz. His first enthusiasm was for Boudin, whom he discovered in the local museum, and for Delacroix whose Justice de Trajan (Trajan’s Justice) (Rouen Museum) he later said was one of the most violent impressions of his life.
In 1900, three years after meeting Friesz, Dufy obtained a municipal scholarship to go and work in Paris. He enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Bonnat’s studio where he came under the influence of the Impressionists Manet, Monet and Pissarro, and also displayed an interest in the Post-Impressionists, especially in Toulouse-Lautrec, whose incisive line filled him with enthusiasm. He began to have some success, but the new style he took up from 1904 to about 1906 temporarily diminished this.
During this period, Dufy and his friend Albert Marquet worked together using similar styles, at Fécamp, Trouville and Le Havre. Rue Pavoisée (Street with Flags) and Affiches á Trouville (Posters…
