Raoul Dufy (1877-1953)

Regatta and seascapes were among Dufy's favorite subjects. The joyful and dynamic atmosphere of the races and the ports presented Dufy with ample opportunities to experiment with movement and color. He produced numerous depictions of Le Havre and Deauville from 1925-1930, keeping his treatment fresh by varying colors and perspectives.

Les régates à Deauville is a quintessential scene of the boats at Deauville. Dufy vividly depicts the joie de vivre of this resort town by using his signature vocabulary: brilliant flags, strong use of Prussian blue, flat areas of color and couleur-lumière. Although Dufy was interested in depicting spontaneous movement through his use of rapid brushwork, he was more absorbed in experimenting with his theory of couleur-lumière. Dufy wrote, "the colour captures the light that forms and animates the group as a whole. Every object or group of objects is placed within its own area of light and shade, receiving its share of reflections and being subjected to the arrangement decided by the artist" (quoted in D. Perez-Tibi, Dufy, London, 1989, p. 150).